We're Free! Time to RelaxOr Not
by RioloverBardenBellaforlife
Summary: Blu and Jewel have escaped the plane and are beginning to start a proper relationship together. However, just as they begin to grow close a group of villains emerges from the shadows. They want something one of our favorite heroes has to further their evil plans, and they will do anything to obtain it, even murder.
1. Chapter 1: A Leap into the Unknown

**Chapter 1**

**Author's Notes: Hello everybody, welcome to my very first fanfic! I really hope that you all enjoy this story. I have never written on this website before, so please forgive me if it isn't the best. Please review, it's the only way I can improve in the future. I'd like to extend huge thanks to David Kraft for beta reading every chapter in this story. He is an amazing writer and I would have never even had the courage to write this until I read his stories. He inspired me and helped me all along the way, so thank you David. Again, I hope you all like it and I will do my best to update regulalrly! :)**

Blu had no idea what to do. Of course he realized that he was going to die either way. He was either going to drown when the plane crashed or when he hit the water after jumping to be with Jewel. But what if she didn't want to be with him? The last time they were really together he was a jerk. Blu couldn't fly and he took it out on her. He didn't get a chance to apologize either. The clear skies and warm weather outside the plane were mocking him. It was a perfect day to go for a swim in Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Bay. Unfortunately it looked like that was what Blu was going to be doing any second. The plane lurched once more, and Blu realized that he couldn't wait any longer. He had to make a decision. So He did. He jumped. Blu's cheeks flapped and he screamed with fear as his body plummeted towards Jewel and the ocean below. Before his mind truly made the connection, he had come into contact with her. She looked just as beautiful as she had the very moment he first laid eyes on her. However, her eyes were now filled with confusion and fright. "Blu," she shouted, "you're crazy, what are you doing?!"

Blu tried to reply as calmly as possible, knowing full well this would be the last words he ever said to her. "I'm not gonna let you go, we're chained to each other birds remember?"

After the words had left his mouth, he saw something change in her. Her whole body seemed to relax as if a lifetime of tension had finally begun to subside. Then, she leaned in and kissed him. Blu couldn't even begin to describe the feelings he experienced at that moment. It was like for the first time, someone truly saw what he was capable of, truly enjoyed his presence. What happened next, was nothing short of a miracle. Blu spread his wings and flew. Not a moment too soon either, his talons just grazed the sea as he took off. Still holding her with his claws, Blu looked down and saw sheer disbelief upon Jewel's face. "Blu!", she gasped, "you're flying!"

Just as shocked as she was, Blu decided to make a joke out of it. "Yeah, you're right", he laughed, "I'm not an ostrich, I'm not an ostrich!"

Blu continued to soar with his most precious cargo until he came to a landing upon a small airstrip. It wasn't anything special. There was just one hangar where small twin planes were kept. The minute his talons made contact with the ground, three humans rushed toward them. The woman Blu knew as Linda. She had red hair, big glasses, and was wearing a blue macaw costume. Linda used to own Blu as a pet back in Minnesota. Only two days ago, the man who now approached Blu and Jewel came to Linda and Blu and asked them to come to Rio. He was also dressed up in a funny outfit and considering how weird he usually acted, Blu assumed he was the one who gave Linda the idea. The man, an ornithologist named Tulio, hoped to have Blu and Jewel mate to save their species. Blu and Jewel were the last spix macaws on the planet. They had been taken from Tulio's aviary by the last person walking towards them on the runway, a teenage boy named Fernando. He had given Blu and Jewel to smugglers who hoped to sell them to make a fortune. Luckily, their plans were foiled back on the plane. As the aircraft descended, the bungling men barely escaped by clinging to one another's legs from a parachute. Blu shot Fernando a look of distrust but his eyes softened when he noticed Fernando's regretful expression. "I'm really sorry guys," he said with his head hung low. "I know I put you in danger and I understand if you don't like me. I hope someday you can forgive me."

Some birds would probably think Blu was soft after what he did next, but he squawked an "I forgive you." Fernando seemed unsure what to think about Blu's response so Blu tried to smile to show Fernando that he wasn't upset with him. In the meantime, Tulio had come closer and scooped Jewel off the ground. While they attempted to escape the plane, the smugglers' pet cockatoo named Nigel had caused a metal cage to fall on Jewel's wing, breaking it. As a result, she could no longer fly. Blu stopped him by strapping a fire extinguisher to his leg and activating it. This caused Nigel to be shot right out of the plane. "It's okay", Tulio soothed, "I bet I can fix it."

For some reason unknown to Blu, Jewel was frightened of humans. Blu could clearly see the uneasiness planted upon her face, so he said reassuringly, "Don't worry, he won't hurt you."

Jewel nodded her head and seemed to relax the tiniest bit. Linda lifted Blu off the ground and hugged him tight. "Oh Blu," she said,"I thought I'd never see you again."

Linda had tears in her eyes. It always made Blu so sad when Linda was sad. He had to look away so he didn't cry. Blu squawked to hopefully make the point that he had missed her terribly as well. "We'd better start making our way back to the aviary," Tulio said, "the sooner I start helping Jewel the better."

Everyone nodded their agreement and started to walk. As they made their way along Blu peered at Jewel, still in Tulio's arms. She caught his eye and Blu wondered if she was thinking about the kiss too. Was it just a spur of the moment thing, or was there something deeper? Did she feel how he felt? Blu was just grateful that he was alive so those questions could be answered.


	2. Chapter 2: Hospitals, We All Hate Them

**Chapter 2**

"My wing itches." That was the first thing Jewel thought when she woke up on the cold, hard operating table. Blinding overhead lights caused her to tilt her head to the side. As she did, she saw some kind of strange material surrounding her injured wing. Jewel would have shrieked but felt too out of it to do much of anything but move her eyes and scope out her surroundings. She was in some kind of small doctor's office. The walls were painted an ugly cream color and the floor appeared to be made of linoleum. Posters of a typical bird's anatomy and common diseases they sustain lined the walls. Small scalpels and pairs of rubber gloves took up residence on built-in shelves, and there was even a sink in the room. Jewel had no idea how long she had been out since they arrived at the aviary. When they had entered into the waiting area, Tulio had passed Jewel to a woman in scrubs and told the woman to prepare Jewel for examination. Meanwhile, he would be setting up Blu in the artificial rain forest where Blu and Jewel had first met. The woman took Jewel through a set of doors and administered some kind of shot to her. Within minutes she began to feel woozy and passed out. Now, here she was. Besides thinking about if she would ever enjoy flying again, Jewel couldn't help but wonder what Blu was doing. "He's probably pacing like the nervous nellie he is" she thought with a smile. Before that might have annoyed her but the whole game was changed now. How many birds would jump out of a plane for you? It wasn't just that either, there were several things about Blu she was beginning to like. He had a good sense of humor, was incredibly sweet, and his nerdiness was unique to say the least. Jewel became a little sad; however, as her thoughts turned to the fight they had outside Luiz the bulldog's garage.

Luiz had just managed to free them from the chain the smugglers had used to prevent them from escaping. Jewel had been so excited to be able to fly again that she forgot that Blu had never learned how. When she saw him walking away she asked him what was wrong. It became clear that he thought things couldn't work out between them since Jewel could fly and he couldn't. She had been hurt but thought that if that was how he felt, there was nothing she could do. Jewel flew away but it wasn't long before the smugglers' cockatoo Nigel snuck up from behind and grabbed her. He had tracked them down and despite Jewel's attempts to fight him off, carried her to the smugglers who once again locked her in a cage. Jewel thought all hope was lost. After all nobody knew where she was, alone in a dark, smelly undercarriage of a parade float heading who-knows-where. But then, Blu showed up. She had been so excited to see Blu that she forgot all about her anger. "But does he know that I'm over it," Jewel thought with her good wing over her mouth. Suddenly Jewel realized that she had to see him. Blu needed to know that she wasn't mad, and she needed to thank him. "Where is Tulio" she thought.

Moments later, as if her thoughts had conjured him up, he burst through the door. He was carrying a clipboard and adjusting his glasses. When he saw Jewel, he gave her a pleasant smile. "Why hello Jewel," he said, "I'm pleased that you are awake." Jewel squawked in response as Tulio began to walk around her. "Luckily Jewel, your break hadn't been that bad" Tulio said. "You should be able to fly again in only a couple of weeks." Jewel's face lit up with this news. If she had been able to, she would have done a loop-de-loop in the air. "Blu is looking forward to seeing how you're doing, would you mind if I took you to see him?" Tulio asked. "Yes!" Jewel exclaimed, even though she knew Tulio couldn't understand her. "Wow" he said. Tulio usually experienced Jewel in one mood, angry. "I think the only other time I saw that much passion from you was when you were attacking my interns. You must have really missed him." _I did indeed_, thought Jewel giddily, _I can't wait to see my favorite nerd bird_.


	3. Chapter 3: But Do You Feel The Same Way?

**Chapter 3**

Just as Jewel had thought, Blu was in the middle of pacing in the middle of the aviary's artificial jungle. The room was actually quite impressive. It had all types of fake palm trees and bushes one might find in the Amazon Rainforest. There were branches, logs, and even a cute little waterfall that was powered by the building's pipe system. Blu was too busy worrying about Jewel's condition to enjoy any of it though. _If she isn't able to fly again, she'll be so upset_, he thought. _Where is she, I have to know if she's going to be alright._ A few minutes later, Blu heard the lock in the jungle's entrance door click. He immediately turned his head in its direction and grinned when he saw Tulio come in with Jewel in his hands. "Hello Blu", he said, "I'm happy to report that your little friend here will be just fine in no time."

Blu squawked with joy. "That's great Jewel, I'm so happy to hear that."

"I know right! I was worried too, thank goodness everything is going to work out" Jewel agreed.

Tulio laughed at the two birds as they chatted with each other. He set Jewel down on the jungle floor next to Blu and then returned to the door. "I'll let you two catch up for a while," Tulio said. "In a while I'll be back with some fresh fruit for you two to eat."

Blu and Jewel waved goodbye, (Jewel with her serviceable wing of course), as Tulio departed from the room. Jewel turned to Blu and noticed that he was staring at the ground. He was toying with his wings and acting very awkward so Jewel decided to start with a light tune. "Phew," she exhaled, "crazy day huh?"

"I'll say," Blu responded still not looking at Jewel. "Look Jewel, I'm really sorry for how I treated you last night. I was angry that you, Rafi, Nico, and Pedro could fly and I couldn't. I took it out on you and it wasn't right. I apologize."

Jewel gave Blu a sweet smile. "Don't worry about it," she said. "Considering you saved my life earlier, I'd say you more than made up for it."

"Are you sure?" asked Blu.

Jewel rolled her eyes, "Yes, I'm sure Blu please calm down."

"Well all right if you're totally sure," said Blu. "So you're really going to be okay? You do have a cast on."

"Is that what this thing is," Jewel said peering down at the ugly thing on her wing. "It's really annoying and itchy but Tulio did say that in a few weeks I'll be able to fly again."

"That's great news", Blu said with a big smile, "We can go sightseeing together when that happens!"

Jewel giggled, "That sounds awesome but what I'd really like now is to go to sleep. We were literally up all night, I can't believe you're not falling over either." "

Well," Blu said, "believe it or not I used to stay up really late back in Minnesota."

"Doing what," Jewel asked teasingly, "reading?"

Blu went red in the face. "Maybe," he mumbled. "Hey I never said I was a party macaw." "You really didn't have to,"

Jewel said, nudging him with her wing, "I figured that out right away."

Blu blushed even deeper and began to play with his wings due to Jewel's messing around. "Well have a good nap," he said, backing away from her, "I'm actually going to head out for a while."

Jewel cocked her head in confusion. "Where are you going?" she asked.

Blu pointed to the broken ventilation shaft Jewel had tried to escape through when they first met. "I'm going to drop by Nico and Pedro's samba club to let them know we're okay," Blu said. "I also want to thank them and Rafael for everything they did to help us."

"Oh alright," said Jewel. "I wish I could go too but I'm not gonna make you carry me again. Say hi for me."

"Got it," Blu responded, making a thumbs up motion with his wing. "I'll try to be back before Tulio brings us our snack. If he comes by before me, save some fruit for me."

"No problem," Jewel said. She waved goodbye with her good wing. "Fly safe!"

"See you later!" shouted Blu as he headed to the air vent.

"Oh Blu, I almost forgot!" Jewel called.

Blu turned around. "Yeah?" he asked.

Jewel looked down at the ground and shuffled her talons awkwardly. She held her wings behind her back. "About the kiss," she said quietly.

Blu's stomach dropped and his wings began to shake. Whatever Jewel said next would determine if they had a future together. Would she reject him? Or would she make his dream to be with her a reality? " Uh.. uh huh," he stammered, "Wha- what about it?"

Jewel looked up at him with a playful smile. "I really enjoyed it," she said. "In fact, I would really like to do it again before you leave. That is of course, if you feel the same way." Blu broke out into a huge grin that made Jewel burst out laughing. "Well, I guess I'll take that as a yes," she said with a smile just as wide. "Come over here," she motioned with her good wing.

Blu glided down and landed right in front of Jewel. "I like you a lot Jewel," Blu said. "I have since the very first moment I saw you in here. I'd really like to make a go of us as a couple and see how it goes. What do you say?"

Jewel looked directly into Blu's big brown eyes. "I'd like that very much," she whispered. Then, both macaws leaned in and kissed each other. Neither one wanted to let the other go.


	4. Chapter 4: Gotta Love Your Friends

**Chapter 4**

As Blu flew over the city of Rio, he couldn't wipe the dopey grin off his face. He glided almost magically through the air as if he was in the middle of a wonderful dream. "Man," he said to himself, "if the birds back home could see me now. Who would have thought I had a little bit of a player in me. Rafael is gonna be so impressed when I tell him." Now that the thought of gaining approval from his new friends was in his head, Blu flew even quicker. The fabulous weather that had settled over Rio de Janeiro earlier remained. Only, now that he wasn't in mortal danger, the beautiful day put Blu at ease. Blu chuckled and continued to entertain himself, "I think this may be the first time in the few days I've been here that I could actually enjoy myself 100%. No chain on my leg, no nut job cockatoo chasing me, just pure fun and freedom. I could get used to this," he said. Shortly after he said this, Blu looked down and noticed the abandoned building below him. It wasn't the prettiest sight from the outside, that was for sure. The paint on the cement walls was peeling, leaving patches of gray brick and the roof was made of dirty, rusty metal. However, on the inside, Nico and Pedro's club was a sight to behold. There were multicolored lights, a bar full of tropical drinks, and an impressive DJ's turntable and sound system. Blu hovered in place, excited to see his friends again. "I hope they're not too worried about me and Jewel," Blu said. "The last time we saw each other was on that plane." Blu began a nosedive and landed at the club entrance. A large harpy eagle stood in front of Blu, acting as the bouncer. His gray feathers were a mess and he was staring a hole through Blu's head with beady, yellow eyes. "Um, hi there," Blu said with a wave of his wing," I'm a friend of the club owners. May I come in please?"

"I don't see why not," the eagle said," you ain't underage are you?"

"Oh no, I'm 15 years old," Blu answered, "I would never try to pull the fake bird ID trick."

Good to hear," said the eagle. He stepped aside and held a large wing out. "Enjoy yourself Sir."

"Will do," said Blu, "Have a pleasant day."

Blu was surprised that the club was packed with birds when he was entered. "Huh," he thought," I didn't think they would be open today what with all that happened last night. I guess it's just that popular there would be rage if they closed on a regular day. The lights on the ceiling were flashing colors and everywhere Blu looked all types of birds were having fun. They were moving on crates, shaking on tables, and singing along to Usher's "Yeah!". Blu spotted Rafael up at the bar drinking some type of fruit drink. He didn't seem to be paying attention to his surroundings which gave Blu a sneaky idea. He creeped over to where Rafael was sitting on a stool, dodging grooving birds as he went. When he was only a pace or two away from Rafi's ear he patiently waited for Ludacris' verse to end. Then, right as the chorus restarted, Blu leaned in and yelled "Yeah!"

Rafi yelped in surprise and splashed the drink he was holding all over the bar station. When he turned to see who the joker was and found out it was Blu, the toucan began to laugh loudly. "Blu amigo!," he exclaimed and wrapped his big wings tightly around the spix macaw, "where have you been, we thought you left us." Rafi was hugging Blu so tight he could barely breathe.

"Ra.. fi," Blu gasped, "I'll t… ell you what… happened just… LOOSEN UP!"

"Oops," Rafael said. He quickly released Blu from his vise grip, who began breathing heavily. "Thanks."

"Can I get you a drink?" the toucan asked. "They got some pretty yummy stuff here."

"Sure why not" Blu shrugged.

He signaled the bartender and was surprised to see it was the roseate spoonbill that helped them escape the marmosets the last time they were at the club. "Wow, fancy meeting you in this part of town," the spoonbill chuckled. "I don't believe I caught your name during the big battle last time."

"No, it's Blu." Blu answered.

This caused the spoonbill to laugh even harder. "Your name's Blu?," he asked incredulously,"man you must have had some unoriginal parents."

At the mention of his parents Blu shrunk in on himself and became very awkward. "Well actually I used to be owned by a human and she gave me the name," he answered. "I haven't seen my parents since I was a few weeks old."

The spoonbill's grin faded as he began to feel guilty. "Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have even made a joke in the first place."

"It's okay," said Blu. "You didn't know and it was funny otherwise. So what's your name?"

"It's Kipo", answered the spoonbill. "I work here, but the last time you saw me I was on break. I just love the music here."

"I know," said Blu,"Nico and Pedro run a pretty sick place."

After Blu ordered a hot chocolate, (the first one Kipo had ever been asked to make), and the three birds had talked for some time, Nico and Pedro came over. They had been busy spinning the tracks but were now taking a rest. They were thrilled when they noticed Blu was with their toucan friend. "Blu bird!" Pedro exclaimed. " 'Sup dog? We thought you didn't make it out of that plane."

"Yeah," Nico said," just how did you guys escape?"

Blu had just finished telling Rafael the whole story. The toucan had hung on to every word and screamed like a girl when Blu had told him that Jewel had said she had feelings for him. "Wait till you hear it!" Rafael announced. "That jerk Nigel knocked a cage on Jewel's wing and broke it. Then he went all psycho on Blu, but my amigo thought quickly and strapped a… what was it again?"

"A fire extinguisher," answered Blu.

Rafael stared blankly at Blu. "Right, anyway," he continued, "Nigel was shot out of the plane after Blu attached that… thing to his talons, but then Jewel fell out too! That's when my brave boy jumped out, caught Jewel, got a kiss, and flew for the first time to safety with her in his talons!"

"Holy cow!" exclaimed Pedro. "You got some lovin' from the hot wing?"

Blu looked down, embarrassed. "Yeah," he said, "she actually really likes me. I've never felt like this before."

"It's quite the feeling alright," Nico piped in. "You guys should both come back tonight. We'll set up a real nice dinner for you."

Pedro got excited at this idea. "Yeah dog, we'll shut down the club just for you two, break out the slow songs, and you two will have a fab time!"

"I'm an awesome cook," Rafi said. "I'll make-"

"Woah, woah, slow down guys," Blu said while waving his wings in their faces, "Did you not hear the part about Jewel's broken wing, she can't fly."

"Well yeah, but can't you just carry her?" asked Pedro. "I mean, Rafi said you already did it once."

Blu thought for a moment. "I suppose that could work. I'll go ask her now, I was supposed to be back earlier anyway."

This confession made Rafael's eyes widen. "Aye amigo, no no no! Rule number one, never stay out too late. Your mate will always wonder where you are and assume the worst."

"I'm guessing you're saying this from experience, huh?" teased Nico.

Blu ignored the canary's taunting towards Rafael and began to lift his talons off the ground. "You're right Rafael, I'll see you all tonight!," Blu shouted.

"Peace dawg!" said Pedro. Blu saluted his friends and took off.


	5. Chapter 5: Dark Corners Are Never Good

**Chapter 5**

Nico and Pedro's club was the spot to get down, but it also had some private corners where birds could chill with their mates. These areas were dark and quiet and couples loved them. However, their secluded nature also allowed them to be used for purposes not so innocent, like spying on other birds. A male military macaw sat on a crate in one of these corners and sucked on a cherry in his drink. His green feathers were almost shaking with anger and the look on his beak was menacing to say the least. "That damn Nigel," he growled under his breath, "I knew that stupid cockatoo would mess this up for us. If you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself." The bird cackled and rubbed his large wings together. "Just you wait you dumb spix macaw, you're going to have quite the little surprise during your romantic evening. Before you know it we'll have what we want from you and your little girlfriend and you two won't be able to stop us." The cruel creature then finished the rest of his drink and exited the club.

Approximately fifteen minutes after he had begun his flight, Blu squeezed in through the artificial jungle's vent system and landed in the room. He looked around but could not see Jewel. Blu cupped his wings around his beak to make a microphone. "Jewel," he called, "I'm back!"

"Took you long enough," Jewel shouted in return.

Blu spun around and saw Jewel motion for him to come over. As he approached he noticed the seeds left behind from several papayas and passion fruits. "I'm sorry I took so long," Blu said, "But I'm here now."

"It's okay, really," Jewel assured him, "besides I have a present for you. Ta-da!" Jewel reached under a fake palm bush and pulled out two juicy passion fruits. "I saved you some just like I promised."

"Thanks Jewel," Blu said taking the fruit, "You rock." Blu bit into the fruit and grinned. "Mmmm," he said with his mouth full, "this is so good, I've never had on of these before."

"I know, they're amazing. I used to eat them all the time back in the jungle but, well here I am," Jewel shrugged.

"You know," Blu said as he continued to munch, "you never did tell me how you got to Tulio's aviary in the first place."

Jewel let out a big breath and stretched her wings behind her head. "It's a long story," she said, "and it's really not that much fun to tell."

"Oh," Blu said. He looked down at the little bit of fruit left in his wings. "Well, you definitely don't have to tell me if you don't feel comfortable. I'd never want to be that annoying, pushy boyfriend."

Jewel giggled. "No no it's alright," she said. "You're a good guy Blu, I wouldn't mind telling you. Besides, I've never really told anyone and it might feel good to get it off my chest."

Blu's heart began to pound. "Wow," he thought, "she's going to tell me something she's never told anyone else? She really must trust me." "Okay," he said and wiped the sweet juice off his beak,"if you're sure I'm all ears."

"Well alrighty then," said Jewel, "It all started just like any old day in my neighborhood. And my neighborhood I mean grove of palm trees."


	6. Chapter 6: Everybody Has A Past

**Chapter 6**

Deep in the center of Brazil there was a very special place, an area of trees that housed one of the last tribes of spix macaws that still existed on Earth. Among the growth was a small river that served as the birds' source of water and many types of fruit plants. The favorite delicacy of the species; however, was not even a fruit. It was the Brazil nut, a treat so coveted that the leader of the spix macaw tribe and the leader of the neighboring scarlet macaw tribe, set boundaries as to which group controlled which trees. The bird in charge of the spix macaws just so happened to be Jewel's father, Eduardo. Eduardo was a no-nonsense bird who took excellent care of his community. The easiest way to explain his personality is an army general but also a caring father.

His wife was a very lovely female named Alicia. She had feathers atop her head that stretched halfway down her back, reminiscent of long human hair. Her overall color was a slightly lighter shade of blue than her husband's. However, since his feathers were already pretty light blue, hers looked almost white. The two had given birth to a daughter named Jewel who was their pride and joy. She had inherited traits from both of her parents. Her feather color was that of Eduardo's; although, her crown took the style of her mother's. The one difference being Jewel had chosen to have her feathers plucked every so often as she disliked when they got in her eyes. Jewel was also like her father in that she was tough when the situation called for it. Alicia preferred to stay out of tribal business, she much rathered spending time with Jewel. On the particular day when Jewel's life drastically changed, Jewel was mentally equivalent to that of a ten-year old human girl. She had left her tree hole for the day to play soccer with her best friend, Roberto, and his other friends. Jewel had chosen to wear a pink flower in her feathery crown that was a special gift from her mother on her last birthday. Secretly she hoped Roberto would notice it and think it was pretty. To her disappointment he hadn't said anything because he was too into the game. "Well," Jewel thought with a sneaky smile, "I'll just have to get his attention another way."

"Incoming!" Roberto shouted as he prepared to shoot the ball into a goal marked by two tree stumps.

"I don't think so!", yelled a voice from behind. Roberto spun around to see who had shouted, but in doing so allowed Jewel to steal the ball from him. "Ha," she called peering back as she dribbled down the grassy jungle floor, "next time pay attention."

"I was," Roberto pouted.

Jewel continued to move, dodging other young birds as she went. As she approached the opposite goal, she wound up with her talon and launched the soccer ball. The goalie missed and Jewel cheered, "GOAAAL!" She flew slightly off the ground and turned to Roberto who had run over. "Best out of five?" she asked.

"You're on Jewel, but don't think I'll fall for your little tricks next time," he said. Jewel landed and began to mess with him.

"Oh I think you will," she teased moving in closer, "I always get in your head somehow."

Roberto's cheeks went red and he looked down. "What can I say, you know me too well," he responded.

"Hey you two lovebirds," shouted the goalie, "are we gonna play or should we wait for you guys to kiss first."

"We're just friends," Jewel shouted back, "and you have no right to talk trash considering I just scored on you."

The goalie rolled his eyes and tossed Jewel the ball. "Fair enough," he relented, "let's just play."

"You're on," Jewel said. However, just as she dropped the ball, she heard screeching come from the nearby trees.

The group of birds whirled their heads in the direction of the noise. "What the hell was that?" asked one of the boys.

"I don't know," said Roberto, "but we had better go and find out." Everyone lifted off the ground and began to fly.

When they reached the area the noise had come from, their beaks all dropped. The center of the grove was in mass panic as spix macaws flew in every direction trying to avoid bulldozers and humans with huge chainsaws. Trees were falling left and right as the logging crew attempted to collect wood. "Oh my God! They're destroying our homes!," Jewel screamed.

"We have to make sure our families are alright!" Roberto yelled, "everyone split up!"

The birds needed no second bidding. They all flew to their respective homes but when Jewel arrived where her tree was supposed to be, she gasped. Her tree had already been cut down and the men were loading it onto a truck. Jewel's eyes welled up with tears and she covered her beak with her wings. "No, NO!" she yelled. She zoomed downward towards the truck but stopped when she noticed a blue-white lump on the ground. Jewel's heart all but stopped in that moment. Her vision clouded over with spots as she failed to inhale any air. "Breathe Jewel," she repeated over and over in her mind, "damn it BREATHE!" Jewel's lungs obeyed and she sucked in so much air she began to cough. When she finally caught her breath she changed her flight path towards the blob on the ground. She landed next to it and turned it over. Immediately, she wished she hadn't as her worst fears were confirmed. It was her mother and she was dead. Her feathers were terribly dirty and there were lines representing the tracks of a bulldozer across her belly and face. Jewel assumed that when the loggers cut down the tree her mother fell out and a bulldozer unintentionally backed over her. Jewel felt sick and began to cry hard as she hugged her mother's limp body. "Mom, why?" she sobbed. However, her sadness quickly changed to anger as she realized these people were to blame. They had killed her mother and who knew what they had done to her father. In her head Jewel called them all the worst names she could think of as she continued to grieve.

Unfortunately her pity was interrupted by a group of workers who stood over her. They were wearing jeans and T-shirts with dirty, brown vests over them. Each also had an orange hard hat on for safety. One man with light brown stubble on his chin bent down and said: "Well, well, well. What do we have here? Some kind of bird? I wonder if these things make good pets, I always wanted a pretty blue macaw." Jewel's eyes widened and her beak curled with rage. If this guy thought he was going to lock her in a cage after he and his buddies killed her mother and demolished her home he had another thing coming. Jewel laid her mother down and swiftly bit the man's leg with all the force she could manage. The man yelped in pain and before he or his coworkers could react, Jewel had flown high out of reach. Frightened, Jewel began to fly far away from her home. She didn't think about her father, friends, or her future until she had gotten lost in the jungle and it was too late to go back.


	7. Chapter 7: There's Always That One Kid

**Chapter 7 **

"And well," Jewel concluded,"that's the majority of the story and the reason I hate most humans." Blu's beak hung open as he tried to process everything Jewel had just revealed to him. He would never have imagined that she would have told him something so tragic. Had he known, he probably wouldn't have even asked. The sad tale was beginning to make Jewel tear up. Before she continued she wiped the salty liquid from her eyes with her wings. "After I flew away," she continued, "things didn't get better. At first I tried to find my way back home but I gave up after a couple of days. I was hungry and thirsty and realized that if I didn't start focusing on food I was going to die alone in the jungle."

"So what did you do?" Blu asked curiously.

"Well, I just ate whatever berries and nuts I could find. When worst came to worst I killed really little animals. Just lizards and fish and stuff like that. They were disgusting though, I don't see how animals can stand that metallic, bloody taste."

Blu was about to tell her that meat didn't actually taste that bad if it was cooked. He had eaten many packs of Tyson chicken nuggets; gooey ham and cheese sandwiches; and smoky, grilled steaks during his time as a pet. However, he didn't think she'd appreciate it too much so he simply said: "That's awful Jewel. I would never want to eat something I didn't like. What I still don't understand though is how you ended up in the aviary."

"Apparently I had been making my way east as I struggled through the jungle," answered Jewel. "Eventually I stumbled upon the city of Rio. It was so big, dirty, and daunting. I hadn't seen any people since the day my mother died and all I wouldn't to do was get far away from them. Unfortunately as I was turning around to fly back through the jungle, a stupid family with this undisciplined little brat arrived behind me. They looked like tourists: the dad was wearing brown khaki shorts and this ugly Hawaiian shirt. The mom had on a sunhat, a floral print dress, and an old camara slung around her neck."

Jewel paused before she began to describe their kid. Her face took on a sarcastic expression and her wings looked to be trembling with rage. Blu had a feeling this was the second human to cause her to lose faith in their species. "What did the kid do?" Blu asked nervously.

"Funny you should ask," Jewel said. "Their boy was about seven. He had choclate smeared all over his freckled face and his red and white striped shirt. He had never seen a bird like me before, and he wanted to know if I could fly fast enough to dodge the rocks he began to throw at me." Blu's jaw dropped once again. He couldn't comprehend what humans did sometimes to animals. "Needless to say," Jewel said bitterly, "I wasn't. He hit me in the leg and broke it. The pain was excruciatingly stabbing. If I had more food on my stomach than a little piranha I would have vomited."

Now Blu was the one who was beginning to cry. He couldn't stand to hear the bird he loved be in pain. "I'm so sorry Jewel. I wish I could have been there to help you through all that." said Blu quietly.

"At least the mom had the sense to take me to the aviary. Otherwise some predator would have probably killed me that very day," said Jewel. "When I got there the receptionist told the mother not to worry, Dr. Tulio Montiero was the best. She took me to him and he almost fainted when he saw me."

Blu couldn't help but burst out laughing as his mind conjured up the image of the crazy doctor seeing a rare spix macaw in the flesh. "Yeah, I'm sure he went full on crackers and started trying to talk to you."

Jewel began to giggle too. "He did and after he said that he would not only fix my leg, but also give me a place to stay while they did further studies on me. After about two years in this stupid fake jungle I began to feel really depressed and angry towards everybody. I began to lash out at his interns and even they didn't want to go near me. I was all alone and I didn't think I would ever be able to experience the freedom I had as a chick." Jewel stopped again so she could look Blu in the eye. "But then…," she began.

"Then?" asked Blu, going red in the face.

Jewel gave Blu a very sweet smile before she spoke. "Then you showed up Blu. Maybe it didn't happen the very first second I saw you, but eventually you gave me something to live for again. You brought color to a world that was very gray and sad. I may be hurt again and in this place again but it's okay this time because I'm with you." Jewel began to tear up once more, but this time for a whole different reason. "I love you Blu. You make me happy and I haven't been happy for as long as I can remember."

Blu's heart was about to explode from all of Jewel's kind words. He felt exactly the same way about her and he was so elated that she returned his feelings. "I.. love you too Jewel," he said. Blu stroked Jewel's face with his wing, making her smile. "I want to be there for you during any bad times that may come and make them better. Thank you for trusting me with the story of your past, I know it wasn't easy to tell."

"No worries Blu," Jewel whispered, "I'm just glad I can be with you right now." Then she pulled Blu in for a long, passionate kiss. Blu's beak was still sticky from the fruit he had eaten earlier but Jewel didn't care. She would rather kiss him than the cleanest bird in the rainforest.

After a few minutes, both macaws came up for air. "I hope you don't mind Jewel, but our friends from the samba club would like to give us a romantic evening tonight. If you're interested, I can fly you there later." Blu said.

The sound of all this made Jewel amused. "Really?" she asked. She thought about it for minute and then shrugged her shoulders. "Why not, I'd like to see what the cardinal and canary can do."

Blu's face lit up at her agreement. "Awesome!" he exclaimed taking Jewel's good wing in his wings, "then it's a date!"


	8. Chapter 8: The Lair

**Chapter 8**

As the bright Brazil sun began its initial descent on the horizon and late afternoon approached, a swift force cut across the sky. The military macaw from the samba club looked downwards as he flew across the city. As he went, he saw average humans going about their daily business. He rolled his eyes. "They all think their lives are so complicated," he said to himself. They have no idea the kinds of things us birds go through everyday." Shortly after his little rant, the macaw landed in front of an abandoned building. It looked quite similar to the samba club, except it was a lot smaller and there was no real entrance. The macaw crept over to a concrete block about the size of a cardboard box and pushed with all his might. He grunted and strained as he put all the effort he could manage into getting it to move. "This is so stupid, we couldn't have put something easier to move in front like curtains," he grumbled. Eventually, the brick gave way and the macaw leaned one wing against it while he attempted to catch his breath. Then he turned and entered the uncovered hole, replaced the block, and went down the passageway.

The macaw emerged into what had once been someone's living room. The place was now in really bad shape. There were brown patches on the beige ceiling from years of water damage. The mustard-yellow carpet was hard and crusty. Paint was peeling off the mint-green walls, leaving patches of exposed cinderblock. The TV that sat on top of a folding table the macaw found in an alley rarely ever worked. However, today it was showing a rerun of "The Vampire Diaries". A hookbill was perched on a coffee table playing with a ratty Nintendo Gameboy. When he turned his green head and saw his friend he said: "Hey Javier, how was your mission?" Suddenly, his Gameboy beeped causing him to whip his head back to its former position. While speaking to his friend, Mario had gotten killed by a Hammer Bro. "Damnit!," he shouted, "I was so close to beating that level."

Javier leveled a death glare toward the bird. His friend, Manolo, could be so immature. It wasn't like they had more important things to worry about than some silly video game. As if voicing his thoughts, a blue and gold macaw sitting on a nearby couch that had seen better days said: "Ugh, grow up."

Manolo turned indignantly. "Hey, if you had been that close you would have been upset too."

"Whatever," said the blue and gold macaw rolling her eyes. She stopped watching the TV and turned to look at Javier. When she met his eye she could see his heart begin to pound. She flew over to the military macaw and crossed her wings. Annabelle, or Ana to her friends, was a truly gorgeous bird. She had once been in a Discovery Card commercial, before they got a tacky parrot to take her place. The feathers on her head were so long; they sometimes covered her eyes. She had thick eyelashes, and her gray eyes were rare among her species. Ana knew Javier couldn't resist them. "What's wrong," she teased, "you look upset." She moved her wingtips up his green, feathery chest one by one until she tapped him on his large beak. "Didn't your mission go well?"

Javier couldn't stay mad when he was around Ana. He looked down sheepishly and said,"Actually, no it didn't. I didn't get what the boss was after. That stupid cockatoo he hired betrayed us."

Ana covered her beak with her gold tipped wings. She hadn't been expecting that response and she began to feel nervous. Their leader disliked when they failed to produce results. "He's been wondering where you were," Ana whispered. Her eyes darted to the door to the next room where their boss normally stayed. "I don't want to tell him you're back."

Javier cupped Ana's beak in his wings and turned it so she was staring into his big, brown eyes. "Ana," he began calmly, "don't worry. I may not have it now but I have a plan. Those stupid spix macaws are going on a date tonight at that sorry excuse for a club. I'm going to crash their little rendezvous and we'll get what we need, even if some heads roll."

Ana cackled, "I love it when you act like a certifiable psycho."

Javier grinned. "You're just as crazy as me and you know it. Don't tell him I came here just now. I should be back by midnight with what he needs. If I'm not, sound the alarm alright?"

Ana nodded, her eyes all business. "Got it, now before you go I've been having a really bad day. You know I can't stand it when I'm alone with that loser." Both birds turned to glare at Manolo who was tapping furiously away at the buttons on his game console. "I think a kiss might cheer me up."

Javier lowered his voice to a seductive whisper. "I think I could make that happen." The two birds wrapped their wings around each other and kissed, long and passionately.

Manolo turned his head and grimaced when he saw the lip-lock. "Ick," he said sticking out his tongue, "get a room!"


	9. Chapter 9: First Date, or the Last?

**Chapter 9**

Later that night, the sun had set and the night was filled with twinkling stars. The city was alight as well, glowing like a beacon in the dark jungle that surrounded it. Jewel couldn't help but marvel at the beauty she had overlooked for so long. "I never really saw Rio like this," she admitted," I guess I spent so long treating it as my enemy I couldn't see the positive traits it held too."

Blu nodded, but he also tried his best not to shiver. Now that it was dark it had gotten considerably cooler, and Blu's body didn't do so well with sudden changes in temperature. He peered down at the female spix macaw in his talons to distract himself from the weather. She looked like she wasn't cold in the slightest. Blu guessed she was more used to how Brazil's climate worked. Jewel also appeared even more gorgeous than that morning if that was even possible. Before they left the aviary through the broken vent, Jewel had had Blu comb her feathery crown with a sharp stick. Then she had taken a pink flower that she had been carrying in a ruffle of feathers and placed it on her head. "It is quite the sight," Blu agreed. "However, it fades in comparison to the way you look tonight."

Jewel couldn't help but laugh at the statement that had just come out of Blu's mouth. It was so him, nerdy and yet deep. "Wow Romeo, laying it on a little thick aren't we?" she teased.

Blu went red in the face. Thinking back on what he had said, he realized that maybe a simple "you look amazing" would have sufficed. "Sorry, that was a little cringe, but I hope you know that I wasn't kidding."

Jewel continued to chuckle and shook her head as Blu came in for a landing in front of the samba club. The place hadn't changed much since she had last been there. Seeing the entrance brought back so many happy memories from her first time there with Blu. It was the place he had let loose for the first time, and she got to see a different aspect of his personality other than anxiety. Jewel couldn't wait to see what her new friends had waiting for her and Blu. "I know," she said looking into Blu's eyes, "and I do appreciate the compliment. You're not looking so bad yourself."

Blu struck a pose even though he really hadn't done anything to change his appearance. " What can I say? I was pretty much born this handsome," he boasted causing Jewel to laugh once more. Jewel loved that despite his tendency to become embarrassed and shrink in on himself, Blu had a sense of humor that could not be denied. "By the way," he said, "I didn't say it earlier but that flower really goes with your feather color. Where'd you find it? I didn't see any flowers like it in the aviary."

Jewel blanched as Blu's words hit her ears. It was almost as if she was back in her little tree grove, holding her mother's body as she saw her world falling apart around her. She pulled the flower out of her crown with her shaking good wing and twirled it around on her wingtip. Looking at it she began to speak in a soft voice: "It's the one my mother gave me for my birthday. The one I was wearing the day she-". Before Jewel could finish her explanation, she began to cry.

Blu's eyes widened and he quickly pulled Jewel into a hug. He felt so silly and terrible. What was the matter with him? They hadn't even entered the samba club and he had already ruined the night. Blu thought he must be the worst spix macaw ever. "I'm so sorry," he said, "I should have just kept my big beak shut. It wasn't even any of my business." He started to punch his beak with one of his wings. "Stupid, stupid, stupid." he muttered to himself angrily.

Jewel removed herself from Blu's grip and stopped him from hurting himself. After a few moments and deep breaths, Jewel began to calm down. She wiped the tears from her eyes and spoke: "Blu, it's okay," she said, "you didn't know. Besides, I'm happy that I've managed to hang on to this flower for so long. It's all I have left to remember my mom, my dad, and the life I once knew. My mom was always excited to see who would be the lucky bird from our area to sweep me off my feet. I wanted to wear it tonight to make it seem as if she knew I was going on a date with you, the first bird I loved."

Blu tried his best to process this. Even after all they had been through, it was still pretty hard to believe that he had managed to win Jewel's heart. Each time Jewel spoke like this to him, everything became a little bit more real. His gloomy mood vanished and he smiled. "I love you too Jewel," he said. "I wish I could have had the chance to impress your parents, I wish you could have met mine. I guess both of our families are pretty messed up, huh?"

Jewel giggled and replaced the flower back on her head. "It certainly is something we have in common." Jewel then dropped her voice into a more serious tone. "You know, you're gonna have to tell me about your parents sometime too Blu, it's only fair."

Blu looked down at the cracked pavement. He shuffled his talons nervously and wrapped his wings behind his back. As much as he loved Jewel, he wasn't ready to tell her the story yet. It was too depressing, and if Blu was being honest he was a little jealous of Jewel. She at least had some happy memories of her parents to hold onto. Blu was so young when he was birdnapped that he barely even remembered what his mom and dad looked like. "Yeah, of course Jewel," he said not looking right at her. "I'll definitely tell you in the near future, but I think right now we'd better head inside. The guys are probably wondering where we're at."

Jewel turned her head away from Blu and sighed. "The near future" didn't sound promising. Jewel wanted Blu to trust her with everything, even the nastiest parts of his past. If she could do it, why couldn't he? Jewel shivered both from the weather and her frustration. It was cold tonight and suddenly all she wanted to do was be inside a building, even if it had no real heater. "Sure, yeah, let's head in." Blu grabbed Jewel's good wing in one of his and together, the two macaws strolled inside the club. However, as they entered Blu thought he noticed a slight change in Jewel's behavior. The feathers above his eye wrinkled in concern and his heart began to beat a little harder. It almost seemed like Jewel was mad at him, but Blu couldn't be sure if he was imagining it.


	10. Chapter 10: Can I Have This Dance?

**Chapter 10: Can I Have This Dance?**

"Oh my God, Rafael, this fish is delicious!" Jewel exclaimed with her mouth full. "I had no idea that you cooked!"

Rafael chuckled, "Oh come on, that's one of the main reasons Eva wanted to marry me."

"Well, if I wasn't on a date with Blu right now, this meal might have just made you the bird on the other end of the table," Jewel joked.

Blu tried not to let what Jewel had just said get underneath his feathers. He couldn't deny that Rafael's roasted red snapper, Spanish rice, and caramelized carrots were phenomenal. Blu was also pleased that whatever had been bothering Jewel seemed to have been put on the back burner now that she had been fed. Sitting at the small wooden crate that was acting as a dinner table, she was in a good mood now, laughing and enjoying herself. The evening had turned around 180 degrees. Blu called out to Pedro and Nico, who were making sure the romantic soundtrack was endless," You guys did an amazing job, thank you two so much."

Nico answered, "Don't mention it Blu! Entertaining is our thing, be it packed dance floors or intimate gatherings."

Pedro shouted back, "It was nothing dawg! You know we'd do anything for you and your hot wing."

Jewel spun around. As much as she appreciated everything the cardinal and canary had done for them, she couldn't stand that nickname. "If you want to keep all those feathers on your body Pedro, I suggest that's the last time you call me that," she threatened.

Pedro gulped. He knew that Jewel had quite the nasty temper when provoked, and he happened to be quite fond of his signature red feathers. "Ye-yes Jewel," he stuttered, "my apologies bird."

Satisfied, Jewel turned back to her date. "It was so nice of you to have them do all this for me Blu," she told him," no other bird I've ever been with has treated me like this before."

Blu looked down at his near-empty plate of food, flattered by the compliment. "Thanks Jewel, you deserve it. You're the most special bird I've ever known. I'll be damned if I don't act like a gentleman towards you."

Now it was Jewel's turn to go bright red in the face. Blu really did know what to say every time to make her feel perfect. The best part about him though, was that there were no ulterior motives to his kindness. He was just a nice guy. "You really are the best Blu," Jewel said. All of a sudden, Jewel felt ashamed of how stubborn she had been when they arrived. "and about the way I acted outside the club earlier," she continued,"I'm sorry."

Blu pretended to be confused so that Jewel would elaborate on what had been upsetting her. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"I was being a jerk because you wouldn't tell me about your parents right away," Jewel explained. "I didn't take into consideration that it might be hard for you to talk about something like that. That wasn't fair because you gave me a chance not to tell you about my past if I didn't want to and I didn't do the same for you. I'm really sorry. If you truly don't feel comfortable telling me about them, you don't have to."

Somehow Blu was relieved that this was the only issue. Something like this could be easily explained. "Jewel," Blu began, "it's alright. I will tell you about them eventually, I promise. To tell you the truth, I don't remember much about them. I was a baby when everything went south in my life. When the time is right I'll fill you in, but I really just don't want to right now."

"That's fine," Jewel assured him. "Just know, that when you're ready I will be all ears and until you're ready, I won't be that annoying, pushy girlfriend."

Blu laughed, remembering that he had told Jewel the same thing earlier that day. "Thanks Jewel."

Just then, one of Jewel's favorite songs came on the club's speakers. She gasped as the sound of the opening guitar strings of Colbie Caillat's "Bubbly" began to fill the room. "Oh, Blu I love this song!" she gushed. "Will you dance with me?"

Blu took a step back. He had been caught off guard by Jewel's request but was more than happy to oblige. "Sure Jewel!" he answered. "And this time there shouldn't be any annoying monkeys coming to interrupt."

"Don't worry!" Kipo called from the bar. He had been in charge of the tasty fruit smoothies the two macaws had drunk that evening. "If anyone comes in this bar and tries to mess with my friends again, they're getting one hell of a black eye."

"Thanks Kipo!" Jewel shouted. "Now come on Blu, before the song ends!"

The two macaws hurried to the dance floor where Blu wrapped one wing around Jewel's waist and took her good wing in his second one. They looked into each other's eyes with pure love and passion. It was as if time stood still and there wasn't anyone else in the world but them. They were together and nothing, nobody could tear them apart. Rafael was so impressed with Blu as he watched the couple dancing from the bar. Blu had indeed come a long way in just a few days. Rafael couldn't resist giving himself a pat on the back, for he know that he was mostly responsible for the positive change in the macaw's romantic game. Meanwhile, Jewel began to sing along. Blu had had the pleasure of hearing her sweet voice the other day when they'd shared their first dance. It was a real treat for him to hear Jewel sing. She rarely showed the fun side of herself, even to him. He smiled and just let her have fun.

_I've been awake for a while now,_

_You tuck me in just like a child now,_

_Cuz every time I see your bubbly fa-ace,_

_I get the tingles in a silly place,_

_It's starts in my toes and I crinkle my nose,_

_Wherever it go-oes I always know,_

_That you make me smile baby stay for a while now,_

_Just take your ti-ime wherever you go._

Jewel was almost dizzy with giddiness. Her previous experiences with male birds had been nothing but disasters. Nobody took the time to treat her to a dinner, or a dance, they just wanted to skip right to mating. Blu wasn't like them, and Jewel had never met anyone else who was like him. As they danced that evening, Jewel realized that Blu was the one for her. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with him; she wanted him to be her first time. "Blu?" she whispered.

Blu twirled Jewel around and asked: "Yeah?"

"I- I've never felt like this before," Jewel admitted. "I don't know if you feel exactly the same way, but I don't just love you, I love only you. I know we've only known each other for a short time but I feel something between us that just doesn't happen to every bird. I was wondering, will you… be my… mate?"

Blu's eyes widened and for a second he couldn't breathe. His heart hammered so fast he was sure he was going to keel over from a heart attack. He let go of Jewel and waved his wing in front of his face as he struggled to catch his breath. While she waited for him to recover Jewel had to hold her good wing over her beak to keep from laughing at Blu's antics. In the back of her mind, she had held the slightest doubt that maybe she wasn't his first time. However, seeing his reaction to her question, she was now certain that she was.

When Blu finally got his wind back he said: "It would be an honor Jewel. I should warn you though, I have no idea what I'm doing in that department."

Jewel laughed and pulled Blu in so close their heads were touching. She made her voice extremely low so their friends couldn't hear. "It's okay, I'm just as inexperienced as you are. But that's actually a good thing. It'll make it all the more special." Blu breathed a sigh of relief that he wasn't going to look like a fool that night. Then he leaned in so that his beak met Jewel's in a sweet, gentle kiss.


	11. Chapter 11: Party Crasher

**Chapter 11: Party Crasher**

After several more songs played, Blu and Jewel's talons began to ache from all the dancing. The two settled back down at their makeshift table to take a break. "Phew," Jewel said twirling one leg with her good wing, "you sure know how to wear a bird out Blu."

"Please," said Blu as he breathed heavily," I was ready to sit fifteen minutes ago but you were still going like the Energizer bunny!"

Jewel scrunched up her face in confusion. "The what?" she asked.

Blu shook his head as he remembered that Jewel had probably never watched TV in her life and wouldn't get the joke. "Never mind" he said.

"Hey, you two lovebirds!," Rafael called as he made his way over to them from the corner of the club he had been using as a kitchen," you sat down just in time for dessert!"

The two macaws instantly seemed to perk up at this announcement. "Dessert?!" they asked in unison.

Rafael nodded his head and placed one plate down in front of each of them. "Yes sir, you two will have the honor of trying my famous caramel flan. It's sticky, creamy goodness. I should warn you though, when my kids eat it they end up bouncing off the walls all night long."

"That's alright," Jewel said as she turned to look at Blu suggestively, "we're not planning on going to bed early tonight."

Rafael faced Blu with a sly look on his face. "Is that so? Sounds like this date was a success in my book, huh amigo?"

Blu's face went ten shades of red deeper. "Yeah, but if you don't mind Rafi I'd like to eat my food so you're gonna have to save the teasing for later."

Rafael held up his wings in defeat. "No problem buddy, but if you need any tips for later there is a reason I have eighteen kids and counting."

When Jewel heard this her eyes widened and she spit out the lump of flan she had in her mouth all over her feathers. "Damn it Rafael," she growled," now I'm gonna be sticky all night."

Rafael quickly ran behind the bar to avoid a potential signature-Jewel tantrum. "I'm so sorry Jewel, there is a restroom just that way," he said pointing a wing to the right. "We have one for males and females."

"Thanks a lot," Jewel grumbled as she attempted to wipe the excess cream off her body.

As Jewel walked by to the bathroom Blu asked," Will you need any help in there?"

"No thanks!" Jewel shouted as she slammed the door closed.

"Aye Caramba," Rafael said. He let out a relieved breath and began to walk over to Blu now that the area was safe. "I'm sorry amigo, I hope I didn't just ruin your night."

"No, no" Blu said, "everything will be fine, she just needs to clean up." Blu snuck a glance in the direction of the women's room. "In a few minutes, everything will be back to normal."

"Guess again!" a cruel voice cackled.

All birds present in the club's main area whipped their heads in the direction of the entrance o the building. Standing in front was a large, menacing looking military macaw. He was wearing a red bandana around his feathery crown and was carrying a large knife in one of his wings. All the birds except for Kipo shuddered with fear as he began to make his way over to the date table.

"And just what business do you think you have here?" Kipo questioned. He got right up in the macaw's face and stood tall. "This is a private event, no creeps allowed."

The evil macaw just laughed and kicked Kipo's large feet right out from under him. Kipo went sprawling on the floor and smacked his head on a nearby crate. "Ouch," he said rubbing the impact spot," that hurt."

Pedro, who was still at the DJ booth with Nico, narrowed his eyes and curled his wings into fist-like shapes. "Hey," he yelled, "nobody knocks my friends to the ground! Square up bro, you and me right now!"

As Pedro attempted to fly over; however, Nico grabbed Pedro's tailfeathers and swung the cardinal around to face him. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" Nico shouted. He looked like he was ready to pee himself, he was so afraid. "Can't you see the talons on that guy?"

Pedro's whole person changed in that moment and he began to shake with fear. "Ta-ta-talons?" he stammered. "OK, I might just stay back here for a bit." Pedro jumped back behind the DJ booth and hid under a pile of records.

"I'll join you!" Nico said before sliding next to a cowering Pedro.

Back on the floor, the macaw grinned with pleasure at seeing the spoonbill's discomfort. "Serves you right for interfering, fool." He turned to look at Blu. "I don't have any issue with any of you except one. Your girlfriend, Spix's macaw, tell me where she is!" He pointed the blade at Rafael's throat. Rafael yelped at suddenly having his life threatened. His heart began to thump hard with fear.

Blu's anger towards the intruder began to rise. "Leave him alone! Who do you think you are? You better get lost and leave my friends and I alone. You're insane if you think I'll put Jewel in danger."

The macaw cackled and turned his attention to the Spix's macaw once more. He lifted Blu off the ground and moved the blade inches from his eye. "Well aren't you just Mr. Tough Guy. I hate to break it to you pal but I, Javier, have dealt with far more intimidating foes than you. If I didn't need you to tell me where your girlfriend is, I wouldn't hesitate to impale you. NOW WHERE IS SHE?!"

"WAIT!" Kipo screamed from the floor. Everyone nearby turned to stare at him. He rubbed his wing across his forehead and showed them it, covered with blood. When Kipo hit his head he sustained an open wound. "My head's bleeding! I have a terrible fear of blood. When I get a papercut I have a panic attack! Please let me go to the bathroom so I can wash off before I go completely crazy!"

Javier groaned. The last thing he needed was a cowardly spoonbill making his mission more difficult. "Fine," he relented. He pointed his free wing toward the bathrooms. "Go, you big crybaby."

Kipo ignored the insult and continued to apply pressure to his head. "Thanks a lot you jerk," he said. Kipo ran for the women's bathroom and slammed the door behind him. Jewel spun around in surprise and was about to scream due to the intrusion when Kipo made a shushing motion with his wing. "There's a scary dude here looking for you," Kipo explained quietly. "We've got to get out of here." Kipo pointed to a window on the far wall that had been left open to cool the room as the weather in Brazil was usually sweltering.

Jewel, although fearful of what she had been told, nodded in serious understanding and allowed herself to be carried out of the building by Kipo. When they were a short distance away from the club Jewel said: "I'll guide you to the aviary. Blu will know where to find me, don't worry."

Kipo nodded his head. "After I drop you off I'll take a different way back to the club, just in case that macaw was following us."

"I don't get it," Jewel said, "what did he want from me?"

"I don't know," Kipo admitted," but it couldn't have been anything good."

Tears came to Jewel's eyes and she began to wipe them with her talon. "Everything was going perfectly tonight. Why does my life always have to get messed up by these bad guys?"

When Kipo saw that Jewel was crying, his face creased with concern. He decided to stop flying over one, tall building and landed so he could check on her. He wiped her tears with his massive wings and said: "Don't worry Jewel. My friends and I won't let anybody hurt you. If that macaw comes around again, I'll make sure he's the one bleeding."

Jewel forced a smile and stopped crying at last. "Thanks for getting me out of there. If he had found out where I was, I'd have been screwed. This wing really needs to heal fast."

Kipo grinned. "Don't mention it," he said. He looked up at the sky, anxious to reach the aviary before they were found. "We'd better get going, I don't know how much time they're going to buy for us back there."

Jewel nodded and let herself be picked up by Kipo once more. "Alright," she said with newly determined eyes, "let's fly!"


	12. Chapter 12: A Night to Remember

**Chapter 12: A Night to Remember**

Back at the club, Javier continued to hold Blu in a vise grip and brandished his knife in his face. "Alright Blu," he sneered," this has gone on long enough. Tell me where Jewel is or you're going to learn what it's like to be blind.

Blu realized that he couldn't waste any more time. He only hoped that Kipo and Jewel were far away by now."Fine," he gasped, "she was in the bathroom."

Javier's eyes darkened with rage and he tightened his wings around Blu even more, causing Blu to cough and wheeze. "What do you mean, WAS?" he yelled with spit shooting out of his beak.

Blu struggled to answer the macaw's question: "Didn't...you..notice that... Kipo went in...the...girl's room?"

Realization hit Javier like a bulldozer as he figured out he had been tricked. He dropped Blu and ran like a lightning bolt to the women's restroom. He threw the door open like a maniac, causing it to slam into the wall with thunderous force. Javier's eyes narrowed into pools of murderous fury, and he let out a furious screech as he realized the room was empty. Javier whipped around and stormed over to Blu who was looking at him with a smug grin on his face. He struck him a vicious blow to the beak causing Blu to fall back into his and Jewel's date table, knocking the dessert plates to the floor. Blu moaned as he attempted to sit up straight. He rubbed the blood from his beak that was beginning to drip onto his tongue, leaving a foul taste. Javier towered over him and held his knife to Blu's throat. He threw his head back and let out a vicious cackle. "Now who's laughing?" he said insanely. "You have three seconds to tell me where they went before I cut you to pieces."

Blu glared at Javier with pure hatred. He had not only ruined what had been a perfect evening for the Spix's macaw couple, but even worse he wanted to hurt the bird he loved more than himself. Blu had to protect her by any means possible. "After we escaped the plane the smugglers had captured us in, we agreed that if we were ever in trouble again and got separated we'd meet at the Christ the Redeemer statue. She's probably on her way there right now with Kipo."

Javier's enraged facial expression slowly changed into a wicked grin. He withdrew his knife from Blu's throat. "See now Blu that wasn't so hard. I'll be paying your precious girlfriend a visit. Don't worry about following me; she merely has something that I need. Once I get it, I will leave her alone. Attempt to help her; however, and she will be killed."

With that, Javier laughed wickedly once more and flew out of the club's entrance. Immediately, Rafael ran over to Blu's side and helped him onto his talons. Blu groaned, still in pain from Javier's ruthless assault. "Blu, are you alright?" Rafael asked, his eyes filled to the brim with concern for his friend.

"I'll be okay," Blu assured him. "I have to get back to the aviary though."

Rafael stepped back, puzzled. "What do you mean? I thought you said Jewel was at the statue."

Blu smiled slyly. "Considering the statue is on the opposite side of Rio, I thought that would throw the big buffoon off just a little bit." Blu wiped his beak once more to rid his tongue of the sickeningly salty taste of the blood. "That macaw may be tough, but he lacks a little where it really matters," Blu said pointing to his head, "upstairs."

Now Rafael was even more confused; he knew nothing about the anatomy of birds. "I'm afraid I don't understand, amigo. Nothing you say ever makes any sense."

Blu rolled his eyes. As much as he loved Rafael for everything he did for him, the toucan's simplicity sometimes got on his nerves. "Forget it," Blu said exasperatedly. "Thank you for everything you did for Jewel and I tonight, Rafi. Your dinner was to die for. You really helped make this night one to remember for a long time."

Rafael grinned and winked. "I was more than happy to oblige amigo, you two are some of the best birds I've met in a long time. Also, just think, Jewel will be back at the aviary. This night can still be salvaged. The main event awaits Blu, are you ready?"

Blu began to fiddle with his wings. As much as he hated to admit it, he was nervous. What if after everything that went down at the club tonight, Jewel had changed her mind? He would just have to get over there and find out. There was no use worrying in the meantime. "I'm not going to lie Rafi," Blu confessed, "I'm nervous. I've never done this before."

Rafael chuckled and wrapped his wing around Blu the way a proud father would do to their son. "My friend," he assured, "you have nothing to worry about. Jewel loves you, and she said it herself she will be patient with you throughout the whole thing. Just remember, treat her like a lady. What she wants is more important than what you want in this case."

Blu nodded his head in understanding. "Thanks Rafi." he said. Then, Blu turned his head to look at Nico and Pedro who were beginning to put away the records for the night. "I want to say thanks to you guys too!" Blu shouted so they could hear him up at the booth. "I really appreciate you closing tonight so we could use the space. I know the night is probably one of your biggest times of business."

Pedro waved his wing in an "it was nothing" gesture. "No problem bro," he said. "We were more than happy to do this for you and the hot wing." Once Pedro said the last two words, his eyes widened and he clapped his wings over his beak. "Please don't tell Jewel I said that," he begged. "If you do, she'll kick my tailfeathers!"

Blu laughed," No worries pal. Your secret's safe with me."

Pedro visibly relaxed at this assurance. "Thank goodness," he breathed. "You two have fun tonight Blu!"

Nico waved goodbye as well. "Take care of yourself Blu! Come back and see us again real soon alright?"

Blu lifted his talons off of the club's concrete floor and began to hover in place. "Will do! See you all later!" Then, Blu took off into the night to see his lovebird as fast as his wings could flap.

#

When Blu finally climbed through the aviary's vent into the artificial jungle, it was around 11:00 p.m. The makeshift palm trees and other jungle plants were shrouded in darkness. The only light came from the small, red glow atop the two security cameras that ensured any intruders who broke in would be seen. Blu had never been a fan of the dark. In fact, when he had lived with Linda in Minnesota, Blu had had a night light shaped like a moon plugged in right next to his birdcage. Blu swallowed a lump in his throat as he made his way across the jungle's hard, tile floor. "Jewel," he called out nervously, "are you back yet?"

Suddenly, Blu heard one of the bushes behind him rustle. His heart began to pound fast and he whirled around, ready to defend himself from the macaw that had harassed them earlier. Fortunately, the only bird who popped out of the bush was Jewel. Both birds, when they had processed what they saw, let out a long, pent-up breath. "Thank goodness it's only you," said Jewel. "Kipo thought it best if he left right away so he could get back to the club before the macaw came back to this area. I hid in this bush while I waited for you just in case that sicko came around."

Blu was so happy that Jewel was okay he rushed forward and wrapped his wings around her in a tight hug. "I'm so glad you're okay; I was so worried about you." Blu whispered.

Jewel, initially taken aback by the Spix's macaw's sudden display of emotion, returned the hug with her good wing. "It's good to see you too. How did you guys get rid of him?"

Blu pulled away from Jewel so that he was looking into her eyes and chuckled: "Well, I sent him on a wild Canadian goose chase to the Christ the Redeemer statue. He'll have no idea where we are."

Jewel breathed a huge sigh of relief. "That's amazing news," she said. Her eyes widened in concern; however, once she noticed the small injury that Blu had sustained during the confrontation. "Oh my gosh Blu, your beak!" she exclaimed.

Blu touched his beak and shrugged his wings. "Don't worry about it Jewel; it's just a small cut. I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" asked Jewel not completely convinced.

"Of course, I'm sure," Blu said. "So, other than the attack on our lives, how would you rate this night on a scale from one to ten?"

Jewel giggled and took the flower she still had in her crown of feathers off of her head. She placed it back in a ruffle of feathers under her wing and said: "I would rate it a ten. Everything was wonderful: the food, the music, I loved all of it. However, if I'm not mistaken the night isn't exactly over, now is it?"

Blu went red in the face and looked down at the artificial jungle's floor. Even though Blu knew it wasn't possible, the room seemed to have gotten fifteen degrees warmer within a matter of seconds. "No, no I suppose not." he said shyly. "I can't believe I'm really going do this," Blu admitted. "Back in Minnesota, other female birds wouldn't even look at me, much less want to be my mate."

Jewel took a step closer to Blu and stroked his beak with her good wing. Her eyes reflected her great love for him and sorrow for how little he thought of himself. "Blu," she began," you may not be able to see it, but you are an amazing bird. You are smart, kind, brave, and funny. I've never met anyone else like you. Even when I was a chick and I had a crush on my friend, Roberto, I never cared for him like I do you. If those birds back in Tinysota couldn't see that, well, that's their loss."

Blu was about to giggle at the inside joke Jewel had just mentioned but before he could, Jewel pulled his beak to hers. They shared a long, passionate kiss that seemed to melt all the previous troubles of the evening away. In that moment, both macaws realized that their bond would be strong enough to weather the storm ahead. If they stuck together, nothing could truly harm them. Their love would simply be too powerful. Blu pulled his beak gently away from Jewel's and stared into her majestic, light blue eyes. They were the first thing that had taken his breath away in this very room where they had met at a time that seemed so long ago. Blu could hardly believe that the deed that had earned him an attack from Jewel the night they first met was now about to happen. Although he feared he would ruin the moment, Blu believed he needed to say this before they went any further. "Jewel?" he said.

Jewel ran her good wing through Blu's thick crown of feathers. She appeared to be lost in the gaze of his gorgeous, dark brown eyes. "Yeah?" she asked dreamily.

"I don't know what that military macaw wants from us, or if he'll be back soon, but I just want you to know that no matter what happens I will be by your side. I won't let anything happen to you." Blu declared.

Jewel put her wingtip to Blu's beak to silence him. Then, she gently pushed him to the floor of the artificial jungle. "As touched as I am by what you just said Blu, I don't want to think about the future right now," she whispered. Jewel lightly kissed Blu's beak before finishing by saying: "The only thing I care about at this moment is you and I."

Blu nodded in understanding, and for the first time in a long time, he completely let go and just enjoyed the moment.


	13. Chapter 13: Javier, Come to My Office

**Chapter 13: Javier, Come to My Office**

Very late that night, bordering on 2:00 a.m., big, gray storm clouds drifted over the city of Rio and settled there. Everyone was safe in their homes by this point of night, and the birds were protected in their individual nests in trees. All the birds, that is, but Javier. The military macaw could barely see two feet in front of him as he attempted to fly in the gale-force winds and torrential downpour. His feathers were soaked, and his body was chilled to the bone. Javier's favorite bandana was now ruined, so he threw it off his head as he continued his struggle back to his boss' headquarters. Javier's beak kept clicking together as he flew on; however, he wasn't sure if it was from the cold or his fury. He couldn't believe that the Spix's macaw had fooled him again. When Javier first arrived at the statue, he couldn't find Jewel. He had assumed she was hiding. After almost three hours of looking in the jungle nearby; however, he had concluded that he had been misled. Now, not only did he have to return to his employer as a failure, the Spix's macaw and his girlfriend were most likely mocking him wherever they were. When Javier finally reached his destination, he landed on the pavement outside the building's secret entrance and attempted to move the barricade blocking it. Unfortunately for him, the thunderstorm had made the concrete block so slick his wings couldn't get a grip. "Curse that Blu," he growled menacingly, "if it wasn't for him I would have been back long before this storm blew in." Javier continued to use all the strength he could muster up to move the obstacle, until finally it gave way and he fell flat on his face on the wet ground from the surprise movement. He let out a savage screech as he stepped into the dry passageway and moved the block back to its original position.

When Javier first entered the building, he shook off the excess rainwater from his feathers. He continued on his way through the long, dark, musty hallway until he finally emerged into the unkempt living room once more. He placed his dagger on a wooden shelf that had been nailed to the wall by the humans that had once owned the place. As he took in his surroundings, he noticed that Manolo had fallen asleep under the coffee table with his Gameboy next to his drooling beak. Javier smacked his face with his wing in utter disbelief at the hookbill's insolence. Trying to erase what he had witnessed from his memory, Javier flew up onto the couch where Ana was anxiously awaiting his arrival. She had long since turned off the TV, for it had failed to calm her nerves. To anyone who may have seen her in that moment, her worry would have been reflected in her eyes. When she saw him land out of the corner of her eye, she quickly hopped over and threw her wings around him. "Thank goodness you're okay," she gasped. "You were gone for so long I was scared that something happened to you at that club."

Javier broke out of Ana's grip and shrugged. "What would those weaklings do to me?" he asked. "I could take both of those Spix's macaws with one wing tied behind my back."

Ana brightened at Javier's bragging. She nudged him playfully with one of her dark blue wings. "So, I take it that your task is complete now huh?" she asked.

Javier's eyes clouded over with embarrassment and anger once more. He turned away from Ana stubbornly and crossed his wings. "No, I still didn't get what the boss needs," he mumbled.

Ana seemed to lose all color in her facial feathers and her heart began to pound dangerously fast. She began to hyperventilate from the fear of what their leader would do to punish Javier. "Bu-bu-but…" she protested, " I don't understand. How could you fail? You had a plan and you just said that you could take them with one wing tied behind your back!"

Javier grew even more frustrated now. He turned back around to face Ana once more and shouted," I know what I said and I did have it all under control, but the male outsmarted me."

"How?!" Ana yelled as the veins in her head began to bulge from the stress she was under.

"That is exactly what I want to know," said a deep, intimidating voice from the doorway to the next room.

Javier and Ana both gulped and slowly turned their necks so they were looking at their commander. He was a falcon who had black and white striped wings and a white belly speckled with black spots. The feathers around his facial features were a light gray color, and his thick, yellow beak was razor sharp. He formed a malicious smile, and when he spoke to Javier his voice rang out in a deceitfully calm tone. "Won't you come in and explain Javier?" he asked, directing the military macaw to the next room with his thin, yet long wings.

Javier attempted to not look frightened, nodded, and took one final look at Ana. The blue and gold macaw was visibly shaking and tears were beginning to form in her eyes. "Please don't be too hard on him Angel. It wasn't all his fault-"

The falcon turned to stare at Ana and chuckled. "You're absolutely right my dear," he interrupted, "you did cover for him, and that makes you partially responsible too."

Now Ana was sobbing. She glided off the couch and sat on her knees in front of Angel. "I'm sorry," she pleaded as big fat tears dampened her feathers, "give Javier and I another chance. We won't let you down again."

Angel let his beak form into a pitiful pout and he bent down to stroke Ana's feathery crown with his wing. "Oh poor girl, don't worry, I know you won't let me down again." Then, he viciously slapped Ana across the face with his wing so hard that she reeled back a few paces onto the floor. The flesh around her eye began to swell so much that she was left with a huge purple bruise that covered half her face. Now afraid for her life, Ana ran down the passageway that led outside and hid inside it for the rest of the night. Angel threw his head back and let out a wicked cackle before turning to face Javier who had moved behind him. Javier was seething with rage over the treatment of his love. His wings curled into fists yet he did not dare make a move against his leader. Javier may have been strong but he may as well have been a helpless chick when compared to the power Angel possessed. "Now it's your turn for a lesson," he hissed. Angel grabbed Javier by the neck and led him through the doorway. He slammed it shut causing Manolo, who had slept through the entire confrontation, to finally wake up startled. However, after looking around and seeing no one, he shrugged his wings and once again drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

#

"You stupid idiot, I can't believe you listened to that macaw without at least getting some insurance in case he was lying!" Angel screamed as he paced around his office. "I mean, you said there were three other birds there! You could have taken one of them prisoner or better yet, the macaw himself!"

Javier sat on the cold, metal floor and refused to look at the falcon. He felt so bitter, humiliated, and wanted nothing more than to hit something to relieve his anger. Prior to Angel's lecture, Javier had been beaten so badly by him that he now held several gashes across his face, a black eye nearly as bad as Ana's, and wings so sore he could barely move. "I'm sorry," he grumbled, "I didn't think everything through and if I could go back I would do it differently." Javier looked Angel in the eyes now before continuing, "You have to understand though, if that cockatoo hadn't betrayed us none of this would be happening."

Angel bent down so that his beak was mere inches from Javier's. "No," he said slowly as if he was speaking to a three-year-old, "I don't understand. Do you know why? Because you have been doing everything in your power all day to avoid me. Well, it's time to face the music military macaw. I'm done teaching you a lesson, so whatever you have to say spit it out!"

Javier's eyes narrowed into angry slits. He despised the condescending way in which he was being spoken to. If Angel hadn't taken him in after his parents were mauled by a jaguar while attempting to find food, he would never have put up with the falcon's abuse this long. "Nigel had agreed that after the smugglers he worked for captured Blu and Jewel from the aviary they were staying in, he would steal the flower from Jewel and pass it to me at the airport while the humans were loading the birds onto the plane. I waited outside the airplane at that crappy airport for Nigel to take the flower out of Jewel's feathers and give it to me, but instead he came to me and said that he never planned to help us in the first place. His goal was to capture the macaws for his other bosses, those humans, and have them shipped somewhere where they would lkely suffer in captivity for the rest of their lives. I told him we didn't need the macaws, just the flower, but he said it was fun to screw other birds over. Then, he told me if I didn't beat it he was going to alert the humans that there was a prize macaw right outside their plane. So, after I said that I would see him again someday and kill him, I got the hell out of there. Now, after some more miserable failures, here we are."

Angel rubbed his forehead with his wing. He could not comprehend how stupid Javier really was. "I am surrounded by morons," he stated.

Javier could not hold back his rage anymore. "What the hell are you talking about?!" he yelled throwing his wings up into the air. Though they continued to ache from his beating, Javier was too angry to care. "I have tried everything I possibly could to track those birds down. If you're so smart, why don't you tell me where they are?"

"The aviary," Angel shouted back, "The aviary! They were taken from there you fool, so obviously they went back there!"

Javier opened his beak to argue further but snapped it shut as he realized that the falcon was likely correct. He couldn't believe that he hadn't thought of that himself; he really wasn't that smart it seemed. Javier lowered his head in both respect and shame. "I am sorry I disrespected you Sir," he said quietly. "I will head there tomorrow night. This morning when I was staking out the club for a potential attack I heard Blu say her wing was broken. They will likely not go anywhere in the span of 24 hours."

Angel's beak curled into a smug grin and he crossed his wings in satisfaction. "You're damn right you will and if she isn't there when you arrive for whatever reason, you will stay there until she arrives. Don't you dare pull any of your dumb ideas; we need this to work. If we don't get that flower, we won't be able to accomplish our plans."

Javier nodded, and in that moment, resolved not to fail. If he did, there was a chance he'd never see Ana again. "Yes Sir, I promise I will not let you down again" he said.

As Javier made his way towards the door, he heard Angel laugh behind him. Nervously, he peered over his shoulder at the falcon. "You had better not," Angel threatened pointing his wing at Javier, "or you won't live to see another sunrise."

**Author's Notes**

**I have an important announcement to make to all of my readers. I will be going on vacation on Sunday, June 9, and my parents will not let me take my laptop with me. (I know, they drive me crazy) Therefore, while I will still be able to write more chapters on my phone, I won't be able to post them until I return home on June 17. So, all I ask is that you are patient until then and don't worry, I haven't gone anywhere! :)**


	14. Chapter 14: The Greatest News Ever

**Chapter 14: The Greatest News Ever**

**Author's Notes**

**Great news everyone! I figured out how to post the chapters on my phone. (Please don't laugh, I'm sure you all knew how to do that already)**

As the rising of the morning sun brought a new day to Rio de Janiero, the darkness of the previous night's storm vanished. The lovely pink skies and hot, dry weather proved to be a good omen that this was going to be a trouble-free day. Though the macaws inside the aviary's artificial jungle could not see the scenic display outside, if they had been able to they would have certainly agreed. Blu and Jewel remained in the position they had been for the last few hours. They were each curled up in each other's wings, Jewel's neck resting under Blu's beak. Even though the scratchy cast Jewel still wore was cutting into Blu's feathers and causing him more than minor irritation, he barely even noticed it. When he opened his eyes that day, he felt like he was in the middle of a wonderful dream. _I still can't believe that happened _he thought.

Blu released Jewel from his grip, causing her to wake up too. She stretched her wings and rolled her head around to loosen her neck muscles. When her eyes finally formed a clear picture, she saw Blu, her mate. She formed an amused smile as she took in his dark blue body with his wings held behind his back. He was shuffling his talons along the hard floor in his typical awkward manner. Jewel realized she was going to have to be the first to speak. "Well Pet," she said as she moved towards him to stroke his beak, "I really don't think that could have gone any better."

Blu looked into Jewel's light blue eyes. They looked like pools of water from the Caribbean sea, and they drank him in every time he made contact with them. "I don't disagree." he replied. "I'm so glad that you were the one I was able to experience this with for the first time Jewel; I really don't think it would have meant as much as it did if it happened with another bird."

Jewel pulled Blu in for a long kiss. His tongue still tasted like caramel from the dessert they had eaten at their first real date the other night. It was definitely fitting that Blu tasted as sweet as his personality was. When she finally pulled her beak away from his, Jewel said: "Thank you for coming to Brazil, Blu. You've changed my life, given me hope for a better future, and taught me how to love. You make me a better version of myself and I couldn't ask for anything more."

"You do the same Jewel." Blu murmured as he nuzzled his beak against Jewel's. "I love you and I always will."

"I love you too." Jewel whispered. Just as their bodies met for another kiss, Jewel felt pain in her stomach when it touched Blu's body. She pulled away quickly to prevent the sharp wave of pain from continuing to stab her flesh. "Yowch!" she yelped rubbing her belly, "Blu my stomach hurts." Jewel held an alarmed look on her face. "It feels hard too, like there's a big rock in there."

Blu's face paled as his heart began to hammer with fear that his loved one might be in danger. "Oh my God," he said, "I hope it isn't a tumor!"

Now Jewel became even more frightened and her beak began to shake as she spoke: "Wha-wha-what's a tumor?"

"Nothing good that's for sure," Blu stated shaking his head. "We've got to get you to Tulio so he can check you out. We won't know for certain what's the matter until he does."

Jewel nodded her head quickly. She continued to shake from the sudden, stressful turn of events. "Right, right," she agreed. "Let's call him."

The two birds then began squawking at the top of their lungs until Tulio burst in a few minutes later with his hands covering his ears. He was wearing his lab coat and carrying a stethoscope around his neck. His hair was messier than usual; however, as if he had just arrived at the building and hadn't shaken off last night's bedhead yet. "Whoa whoa," he shouted over their ear-piercing screeches, "it's okay. I'm here, what's wrong?" Jewel pointed to her stomach and squawked in a tone that she hoped would convey concern. Luckily for the macaws, Tulio had spent so much time with birds that he immediately picked up on her gesture. "Your stomach is bothering you?" he asked. Blu and Jewel both nodded their heads. Tulio picked up Jewel in one hand and Blu in the other. Careful not to do more damage to Jewel's healing wing, he passed his hand through Jewel's feathery crown in an attempt to calm her down. "Don't worry," he soothed, "I'll take you back to the examination room and we'll see what the problem is." Jewel nodded once again and breathed out a sigh of relief. Now they were getting somewhere. She hoped that they figured out what the issue was fast. Her relationship with Blu was stronger than ever now; the last thing she needed to be was getting sick. Blu took Jewel's good wing in his and smiled reassuringly to let her know that he would be by her side through this too, the same way he had been all along.

#

Blu and Jewel were sitting on the leather bed that was meant for patients in the examination room at the aviary. The area didn't appear to change much since the last time Jewel had been inside it. Some of the tools that had been on the counter before were no longer there, and there appeared to be a coffee stain on the linoleum floor now. Other than that, nothing was different. She turned to Blu who appeared to be trying his best to look calm. Jewel; however, could see right through him and knew he was crippled with anxiety. She placed a wing on his back and pulled him in for a hug. "Blu, don't worry. I'm sure I'll be okay." she said quietly. "You aren't going to lose me.

Tears came to Blu's eyes and he wiped them with one of his wings. "How can you be so sure?" he asked.

Jewel looked right at Blu and spoke as flatly as she could, even though she knew she couldn't be sure: "Because, I promised that I would be with you. I'm not going to let you down now." She nudged him playfully. "Hey, whatever is going on we'll get through it together. We're chained-to-each-other birds right?"

Blu smiled, feeling a little better. "Yeah, always" he said.

The door to the hallway swung open, and Tulio walked in, bent over some papers held together on a clipboard. Blu and Jewel attempted to gauge his facial expression. His forehead was wrinkled with seriousness, but he didn't appear to be upset. The two macaws hoped that this was a good sign. "Well," said Tulio as he continued to look at Jewel's test results, "I'm almost positive that I've figured out what the issue is, but you two are going to have to answer one question first." Blu and Jewel held each other's wing and nodded. "Did you two by any chance become, well, more than friends recently?" he asked. Blu and Jewel smiled shyly and looked down at the seat they were sitting on. It appeared that the jig was up. "A-ha," Tulio said now looking at the macaws, "then it's official. Jewel is pregnant. By my calculations, she is carrying four eggs and they should be ready to come out before midnight."

The two Spix's macaws blanched at the news at first. Slowly; however, elated grins spread across their beaks. Jewel was so thrilled, she grabbed Blu and shook him. "Can you believe it Blu?!" Jewel asked excitedly, "We're going to be parents!"

"Wow," Blu said a little dizzy from Jewel's gesture. He was still in a minor state of shock as well. Kids were a huge responsibility and he hoped that he was ready for that. However, he didn't feel like letting Jewel in on that fear of his. Right now she was in such a great mood. "This is incredible. I'm also happy that you're okay. This is probably the best possible outcome of the situation."

"I know, just think, that hard lump I was feeling was an egg! I'm so happy!" Jewel exclaimed. "Oh man we're going to have to think up names, find a place to live, there's so much to do!"

"Don't worry Jewel," Blu said as much to himself as to her, "even if you lay the eggs quickly, we still have time before they hatch to figure everything out."

Jewel was so over the moon she barely heard a word Blu had just said. It had been a dream of hers ever since she was little to have chicks of her own, and now that dream was going to become a reality. She couldn't wait to take on the task of parenting with Blu. There was no bird she'd rather do it with more. "We'll be the best mother and father Blu, because we already know how to work together as a team. Only this time, we'll be doing it raising kids instead of fighting for our lives!" she said.

Blu smiled now that Jewel had voiced his fears without him having to say anything. It was like she could read his mind and he loved that about her. "You're right Jewel," he said, "we've overcome so much already, how hard can it be?"

"That's the spirit," she said. The two macaws then hugged each other, both looking forward to the day their next journey would begin.

Meanwhile, Tulio who was unable to understand the birds' conversation, observed the two happily. The goal he had set out to accomplish when he first traveled to Minnesota would now be realized. The Spix's macaw species would be saved. It may have taken some time, but Blu and Jewel were now crazy about each other and eager to become parents. _I did it, _he thought with a huge smile, _I really did it. I make a pretty good matchmaker, if I do say so myself._


	15. Chapter 15: The Truth Begins to Emerge

**Chapter 15: The Truth Begins to Emerge**

By mid-afternoon that day, the Brazilian sun had brought scorching weather to the city of Rio. Residents, dripping with sweat and red from the heat, plodded down the various sidewalks and roads to carry out their daily routine. Most birds and other creatures were attempting to avoid the harsh tropical weather. Therefore, if one group of tourists had sought to catch a glimpse of Brazil's famous exotic birds, they would be sorely disappointed that day. Blu and Jewel were lucky to be in the air-conditioned artificial jungle that day. While other birds were busy roasting their tailfeathers off, they were chilling in a man-made paradise. Well Blu was chilling, Jewel was struggling with laying her eggs. She had never done it before and it was harder than it appeared. Blu was standing by her side, encouraging her and fanning her to cool her down from the heat caused by her effort, as three of the four eggs popped out on the floor. "Come on Jewel!" Blu said as he patted Jewel's back gently," Tulio said he saw four eggs. That means you only have one more to go. You're doing so well."

Jewel panted and squeezed her body in an effort to force the last egg out. Her face scrunched up in an almost scary fashion, but she knew Blu wouldn't be stupid enough to make a joke about it. "Ugh, you will be the first to sit on the eggs since I have to be the one to deal with this. Are we clear?" Jewel shouted annoyed.

Blu nodded his head rapidly and formed a nervous smile. He knew that Jewel was snapping at him not because she was mad at him but because she was tired and in pain. Nevertheless, he knew she had the tendency to lash out when she was in a bad mood, so he answered swiftly: "I'll take the first two shifts Jewel. You'll have all the time in the world to relax."

"Good," Jewel grunted as she continued to work her muscles. She was making progress, the last egg appeared to be on its way out. _Come on Jewel, _she thought to herself, _you've come out on top in so many situations in your life. There's no way you won't be able to deal with this like a boss. Besides, only four eggs?! Some female birds you knew in your tribe would laugh if they heard that was all you had to lay. Now let's go, this is the final stretch Jewel, GIVE IT ALL YOU'VE GOT!_

The veins in Jewel's head began to bulge as she increased the amount of pressure for her final push. That last movement did the trick and egg number four plopped out onto the floor of the fake rainforest. Blu raised his wings in victory and shouted: "Woo hoo! Jewel you did it!" Then he pulled his mate and best friend into a big hug, careful to avoid her cast of course.

Jewel patted Blu with her good wing as she took long, deep breaths to recover from the strenuous activity. She released herself from Blu's grip and rolled her wings to give some relief to her overworked muscles. "Damn," she breathed, "that is without a doubt the hardest workout I've ever had in my life. I really hope I don't have to do that again for a while."

"No problem Jewel," Blu frowned."I'll take that as a hint that we won't be mating for a while, you know just in case." After he had said this, Blu quickly hopped back a few paces and shielded himself with his wings. Just a precaution in case Jewel was still not in the mood for humor.

Luckily for Blu's well-being, Jewel found what Blu had said amusing. She laughed as she stretched her wings behind her head and responded: "Oh you'll be waiting Mister. I'm not going to be Eva with eighteen kids running around. To quote the Master of Romance himself, four kids will be enough to give me gray feathers."

Blu chuckled, he didn't relish the idea of a horde of Spix's macaw chicks plucking out his tailfeathers every time he turned around either. Blu rubbed a wing across his forehead as if the very thought had stressed him out and said: "Yeah Jewel, you and me both."

Now that Jewel had recovered from the egg-laying process, she went to work pulling leaves off of the fake-bushes to place her four eggs on. Once Blu took notice of what she was doing he immediately stepped in to assist. "Speaking of Rafael and Eva," Jewel spoke as she collected, "we're going to have to tell them about the kids. They're going to lose it, especially Rafael. He'll probably pass out with excitement."

Blu nodded and grinned. "Yeah, Nico and Pedro too! They'll probably want to throw us a baby shower."

Jewel laughed and rolled her eyes as she added leaves to the growing pile on the floor. "Dear God I can only imagine the kind of crazy stuff those two will give us. Most likely a karaoke machine with all the latest hip hop."

Blu burst out laughing and played along: "Or a jumbo jar of whatever Pedro uses to grease his feathers. Those things stick up like a bowling pin!" The two macaws nearly fell over they were laughing so hard now. Both Blu and Jewel placed one more heaping pile of leaves down on the floor and then nodded in unison, satisfied. "I do believe that should do it." said Blu.

"Alright," Jewel lowered her head, "Let's get the eggs on their little comfy chair." Blu and Jewel each took two of the eggs in their wings and gently laid them down on the pile of leaves. As she took in the sight of her makeshift nest, Jewel couldn't help but feel like she just figured out it was really happening. In the back of her mind all day she had felt like she was dreaming that she was going to be a mother. "Just look at them Blu. They look so innocent, they haven't come out into the big, bad world yet. We're going to have to do everything we can to keep them safe Blu. Are you ready for that?"

Blu nodded his head with an expression more serious than he had ever worn in his life. "I'm more than ready Jewel. If I didn't come into this world for any other reason then it must have been to be a father. I would die for any of our children and you. I wouldn't hesitate and I hope you know that Jewel."

Jewel giggled and looked into her mate's eyes. "Of course I do silly. Are you forgetting that you almost died when you jumped out of the plane to save me?"

Blu blushed and looked down at his eggs once more. He couldn't believe that he had forgotten about that. "Yeah, I guess I already proved it huh?" he said shyly.

Jewel reached up to stroke the feathers on Blu's head. "I may have not gotten a chance yet, but if worse comes to worst Blu, know that I would do the same for you."

Blu raised an eyebrow. "Even if it meant you had to step on a Lego?" he asked.

Jewel laughed at the randomness of what Blu had said. "Um what the heck is that?!" she exclaimed.

Blu chuckled: "It's a toy that human kids love to play with but if you step on it, it hurts like hell."

Jewel smirked and pointed toward the eggs. "Yes Blu I would even do that. However, you Mister have stalled long enough. That air conditioner makes this place feel like a meat locker, so if you don't sit your blue, feathery butt on those eggs soon, you're gonna have to kiss parenthood goodbye."

Blu let out a little yelp to be dramatic and quickly sat down on the eggs as softly as he could. He adjusted himself until he felt comfortable on the hard, rock-like objects underneath him. "Ugh," he complained, "these aren't fun to keep warm. They're hurting me."

Jewel rolled her eyes and turned around. As she walked a few paces away she said: "Cry me a river Mr. Tactile Feathers, if you think that hurts try pushing them out next time."

Blu laughed awkwardly as he realized that he was being ridiculous and insensitive. "Sorry Jewel," he said, "no more whining, I promise."

Jewel laid down on the jungle's floor and curled up for a nap. "I better not hear a peep out of you until midnight Blu, or we're going to have a repeat of our first meeting," she teased.

Blu saluted his mate and answered: "Yes ma'am."

#

Though the sun was no longer in the sky, it was still oppressively hot in Rio. There was almost a haze in the air as if one could see glowing red heat waves against the backdrop of a pitch black sky. As Javier flew through the air, he swore that he was sweating. _Stop it Javier, _he scolded himself, _birds don't sweat. That's just a human thing. _The cuts in his face turned out to not be a serious as he had thought they were. None had left scars and the swelling around his eye was beginning to go down. Ana's eye was starting to improve as well; however, it was certainly going to take longer to heal than Javier's. The first thing Javier had done after being chewed out by Angel was check on Ana. He had found her in the dirty entryway, her feathers covered with dust and grime. When he saw her crying softly, he quickly wrapped her up in his big, green wings and hugged her. After all her tears seemed to be spent and his feathers were soaked, he lifted her face so he could kiss her beak. He apologized for putting her through all that, but she had said that she would have protected him even if he hadn't come back that afternoon. She loved him, she had said. After Javier said the same, the couple went back into the living room and laid down on the worn out couch. Since both birds were extremely tired from the day's events and sore from their beatings, it wasn't long before they fell into a deep sleep curled up in each other's wings.

Javier hadn't left long ago and was now on his way to the aviary. It was currently around 11:30 p.m. Before he had exited his group's lair, Angel had issued a stern warning. He had said to do whatever he had to do to obtain the flower from Jewel, except kill Blu. Angel had said that he needed him for later. However, if Javier failed to get what he needed that night, Angel had told him not to return or he would be killed. Javier shuddered at the very thought of having to part ways with the bird he loved more than anything else in the world. _You're doing this for her, _he reminded himself, _once we all get what we're after, Angel will be satisfied and no one will be able to challenge us. We'll be unstoppable. _Javier cackled at the thought of what he would do once he laid his wings on the ultimate prize. The first thing he would do is wipe out the entire jaguar population as vengeance for killing his parents and ruining any chance he had of living a normal life. "Patience Javier," he said to himself as he continued on to his destination, "those savage beasts will be the first ones to go, but you won't be able to do anything until you get that flower. I won't let those two Spix's macaws fool me this time. Last time I underestimated the male. I won't make the same mistake." His expression grew worried as the consequences of a failure worked their way into his brain again. He shivered with fear and murmured: "I can't afford to make another mistake."

#

When Javier arrived at the aviary, he flew all around the building, searching for a way in. It wasn't long before he noticed the open vent that Blu and Jewel had snuck out of many times before. "Bingo" he said. Javier made a beeline for the vent and softly touched down on its metallic surface. Unsure of which way to go, Javier creeped through passage after passage until he came upon a grate in the floor of the vent. When he peered through the grate's cracks, he realized that he was looking down into some sort of office. There was a big wooden desk propped up against one wall, and a full water cooler in another corner. Posters of Jennifer Lopez and Shakia hung on the walls, and as Javier squinted for a better look he noticed a picture frame on top of the desk. The frame, set amidst a clutter of papers and binders, held a photo of three humans: a man, woman, and a little girl. The man in the photo appeared to be the same guy who was presently sitting in a small, metal chair next to the water cooler. The man was overweight and wore bkack pants with a blue dress shirt and red tie. He had brown, curly hair and was tapping a flashlight against his knee. Javier assumed that this man was the building's security guard. He looked like he was on high alert and Javier realized that he had to be careful. If he got caught when he found Blu and Jewel he wouldn't stand a chance against this guy. _You're gonna have to speed this up, _he thought, _where could those two birds be? _As softly as he could, Javier fluttered over the cracks in the grate and landed smoothly on the other side. He cautiously peeked through once more to see if the guard had stirred. Luckily for Javier, the man hadn't moved a muscle. Javier wiped his wing across his forehead and let out a huge sigh of relief. _Thank goodness_, he thought and continued on his way through the vent system.

Several minutes later, Javier came across a hole in the vent system that exited out into what looked like a replica of the Amazon Rainforest. Javier scratched his head with a talon, puzzled at what he was seeing. _What the hell is this? _he thought. _These humans here must be nuts to go to all this trouble. _Javier silently glided down and set his talons down upon the cold, hard floor. He exhaled with pleasure; however, as he finally calmed down enough to realize how wonderfully cold it was in this room. _Thank heavens there's AC in here, _he thought blissfully, _if I had spent one more moment out in that dreadful heat I think I would have become rotisserie chicken! _Javier creeped under rubber palm trees and past artificial bushes as silently as he could manage, just in case his enemies were in this room. Sure enough, after pushing aside the leaves of a man-made flower he laid eyes on his two targets. Jewel was curled up on the floor fast asleep, and Blu was asleep as well sitting on a little pile of leaves. Javier smiled wickedly and resisted the urge to cackle in celebration. _What luck, _he thought happily, _I have the element of surprise. All I need to do is sneak up on the girl and remove the flower. I'm sure she has it on her, she wouldn't let it out of her sight after the last time I showed up. _Javier began to tiptoe as slowly as humanly possible towards Jewel. When he passed Blu; however, and looked to see if the male heard his movements, Javier's eyes nearly popped out of his head. Under Blu's butt and nestled on a pile of fake leaves were four Spix's macaw eggs. Javier's evil grin widened as the wheels in his scheming mind began to formulate a new plan. _I'll knock that fool of a macaw off that nest, and before he knows what hit him I'll snatch all four of those eggs up in my wings, _he planned. _Then, I will demand that the female hands over the flower or her precious babies will be smashed right before her eyes. _Javier's eyes shined with sadistic delight at the thought of Jewel's priceless reaction to the murder of her unborn children. She would never recover from the heartbreak of such a tremendous loss. _She'll comply, _he thought, _what's a stupid flower when compared to your chicks? She'd do anything to keep them safe. _Not wanting to waste any more time in case something went wrong, Javier crept as quietly as he could towards Blu who was still in a deep sleep. Moving behind him, Javier cackled to himself before swinging with all his might and knocking Blu right off the nest.

Blu instantly woke up and screamed as he flew across the room. He landed with a sickening thud on the hard floor of the room. Groaning with pain, he rubbed his back which was now sore from the impact. When he turned to see what had sent him careening, his eyes widened and his beak dropped. He saw Javier laughing wickedly and gathering all four of their eggs up into his wings. Blu instantly stood up and began to run over to Javier. "NO!" Blu yelled. "Put them down right now, please don't hurt them!"

Javier held up a wing, causing Blu to freeze in his tracks. "Don't come any closer macaw," he warned. "or I will smash each one of your precious eggs, one by one."

Blu's beak curled in rage and he taunted the military macaw: "What happened to your face? You look like you got ran over by a snowmobile. I will say though, considering what an ugly duckling you were before the cuts and black eye are actually an improvement.

Javier's eyes darkened with venomous hatred toward the Spix's macaw. He withdrew the knife he had carried to the club the previous night and pointed it at Blu's eye. "You just think you're so funny, don't you macaw?" he shouted furiously. "It's your fault I look like this. If it wasn't for your trickery I would have obtained what I needed at our last meeting and not have sustained these wounds. Why I ought to teach you a real good lesson before I leave tonight."

Blu curled his wings into fists and prepared to charge his bitter enemy. He shouted back: "Oh yeah? What is it exactly that you need huh? Because let me tell you something, I am damn sick and tired of you showing up and putting and my family in danger. GIVE ME THE EGGS BACK JAVIER, NOW! Before, I teach YOU one hell of a lesson!"

All this noise had woken Jewel who was now rubbing her sleepy eyes with her wings. "Wha-wha-what's going on?" she asked still disoriented. When her eyes fell upon the empty nest, she quickly became fully awake. Jewel let out a frightened gasp and her wings flew to her beak. Then, her eyes narrowed into dangerous pits of fury as she took note of the intruder who had her babies in his possession. "Give them to me right now, you sick freak!" she snarled. "Don't think I will hesitate for one second to claw your eyes out!"

Javier threw his head back and laughed insanely. He moved backwards a few paces so both Blu and Jewel would be in his line of vision. A cruel, vicious grin blanketed his face as he answered calmly: "I will be more than happy to return the little brats to you two morons once Jewel gives me what I want."

Jewel's face scrunched up in confusion as she lowered herself into a fighting stance, just in case it became necessary. "What do you mean? What could I possibly have that you want?

Javier continued to smile, amused at the macaw's obliviousness to her importance in his plans. He made a hand-it-over potion with one wing while holding the eggs in the other and explained: "I need the flower that you possess my dear. It is vital in ensuring that my boss and the rest of my team get what they want."

Blu turned to look at Jewel, his eyes full of concern for his mate. So this was the reason he had asked where she was that night at their date. He was after the flower she wore in her crown of feathers. Jewel gasped and became pale as she removed the flower from the ruffle of feathers under her good wing. She stared at its pink petals and tears came to her eyes. Her mind flooded with the memories of the happy times she had in her grove of trees: playing games with her friends, finding fruit and nuts with her parents, visiting relatives and neighbors in their tree holes. Then, darker pictures took hold in her brain. She saw the destruction caused by the humans with their saws and bulldozers. She remembered how everyone she had ever known in her community fled for their lives as their homes were demolished. She recalled how she never found out what became of her father after that day, whether or not he made it out alive. Finally, Jewel fell to the ground and began to cry as she relived the moment she saw her mother's flattened body on the jungle floor. How she held her mother in her wings for the last time before years of survival and crushing loneliness in the jungle. "This flower is all I have left to remember everyone I lost when I was little," she cried. "It was a gift from my mother."

Javier nodded his head as if he had heard this story a thousand times. He smiled wickedly and paused before answering in a flat, emotionless tone: "I know."

When Blu heard this he turned to face Javier, now more puzzled than he was when he first heard Javier say that he was after a flower of all things. Jewel's eyes widened and she stopped crying. She lifted her head and stared at Javier at an almost utter loss for words. "What do you mean, you know?" she whispered.

Javier put the sword he had threatened Blu with back in the pouch around his waist and shook his head. "I think I better explain a few things," he began. "You see Jewel, this isn't the second time that I was sent to get my wings on that flower. As a matter of fact, it's the third time. The first was when you were just a little child, living happily in the rainforest with mommy and daddy."

Blu's beak dropped at this news. He whipped his head to stare at Jewel who looked so sick, she seemed she could pass out at any second. She didn't say a word as Javier cackled demonically before continuing on with the story of how his and his friends' greed had destroyed Jewel's life.


	16. Chapter 16: We Used to be Friends

**Chapter 16: We Used to Be Friends**

The Amazon Rainforest was a lush place with high palm trees that blocked nearly all sunlight from the forest floor. In addition, the bushes on the bottom level of the jungle provided many good hiding places for creatures that happened to be carrying out any nefarious business. Such was the case for a group of four birds: a military macaw, blue and gold macaw, hookbill, and falcon. The wildlife of the Amazon concealed a small cave that had been hollowed out of a rock wall. Nearby were fruit trees that contained oranges and papayas, as well as a waterfall that served as a freshwater source for the villains. Inside their makeshift lair, the rocks were lined with ancient ivy vines. The ceiling often dripped, a fact which irritated Manolo who took considerable pride in his sleek, brown feathers. Lanterns were placed on natural shelves to illuminate the rocky interior. In the center of the cave was a small tree stump that all four birds had lugged in from outside. This was used as a table for meals as well as planning purposes. Currently, the stump was covered with a map of the surrounding jungle. A circle of trees had been circled with a red Sharpie marker and a dotted line drawn in black connected their present location to the trees. All four birds surrounded the stump, each taking up one of the stump's four sides. Orange peels littered the floor around the stump and Manolo added to the pile of trash as he popped another piece of fruit into his beak. "So," he said with his mouth full, "one of us has to sneak into that grove infested with those dirty macaws and take back what that traitor took from us. How the hell are we supposed to do that?"

Javier let out a big, frustrated breath and scratched his feathery crown. "It's gonna be a challenge, but there's got to be a way to do it."

Ana mimicked what Manolo had done and tossed an orange peel behind her body as well. "Well I sure as hell don't want to get captured by those beasts. Did you see that freaky dance they were doing the other day when we were gathering surveillance? "Beautiful Creatures," more like ancient crazy tribal creatures."

Angel raised his large, black and white wings to issue for silence. He spoke calmly and authoritatively: "Listen up. I know that nobody wants to do this but it has to be done. Personally, I think Javier is out best bet for this job."

Javier arched an eyebrow and stared at the falcon, confused. "Why me?" he asked.

"Because," Angel explained, "Back when he was still a member of our little team, you two were best friends. He trusted you like a brother. I bet that if you waltzed into his little home right now and claimed that you saw me for "the selfish monster" he said I was and wanted to join his side, he'd welcome you with open wings."

Javier shook his head as he thought back to how stupid the Spix's macaw he was once close to had been. Angel had recruited Eduardo to be a part of their gang because he had once lived in the region of the Amazon Rainforest where the special flower had been said to grow. The falcon had expected Eduardo to have special knowledge on where the item could be found. Eduardo had been nothing but a thief-for-hire when Javier and his friends had first met him. He was willing to do anything if it meant a reliable source of food and shelter. His wings were especially sticky so he'd be good for stealing the flower. Eduardo agreed to find the flower if Angel took him in and was willing to feed him and give him a place to stay. While Eduardo and his new teammates searched for the flower, he and Javier struck up a friendship. The two birds discovered that the one event that had changed their whole lives had been the same one. They had both been orphaned at a young age. However, Eduardo lost his parents to smugglers who had captured them when he was just a chick. Eduardo had managed to escape but since he had lost his parents when he was so young, he never learned the proper way to search for food. Eventually, he began hiring himself out to less than desirable birds, agreeing to steal for them if they fed him and let him stay with them until the job was done.

When Eduardo finally emerged from the location where he had at last discovered the flower, he had been pale and quaking with fear. Javier, who had been waiting outside the cave deep in the Amazon that housed the flower, rushed to his friend and asked him what was wrong. Eduardo continued to hyperventilate which only scared Javier even more. He escorted the traumatized Eduardo to a nearby stream and splashed water on Eduardo's beak in an effort to calm him down. Finally, his breathing returned to normal and Javier asked once more, what had scared him so badly. Eduardo looked all around as if he was making sure they weren't being watched and lowered his voice to a nearly inaudible whisper: "When I walked in I didn't see anything out of the ordinary, the flower was just sitting right there on a rock. However, when I touched it something happened."

"What happened?!" asked Javier both confused and frightened.

Eduardo almost seemed to stare right through Javier with a dazed expression in his eyes. Javier was beginning to lose it too; his friend was not in a good mental state right now. "I-it-it's really hard to ex-p-p-plain," he stuttered. "It's almost like I got transported to the future. Angel was sitting on some sort of throne overlooking Rio and the whole city was in utter chaos. The jungle nearby was burning, the buildings were crumbling, and all the birds in the city were in heavy chains mindlessly doing his bidding. I don't know what the hell this flower does, but somehow it must be connected to what I saw. If I give him this, he's gonna get powerful Javier. If he gets his wings on this, he's gonna betray us and take over Rio!"

Javier's jaw dropped at what his friend had said. Conflict lined his face as he wrestled with what to say next. He trusted his friend; Eduardo had never lied to him during the two years they had spent together on their search. However, he also trusted Angel. The falcon had pretty much raised him since his parents had been killed. Angel had never given him any reason to question his loyalty either. Sure, the falcon had quite the temper and could give a nasty beating when Javier failed to impress, but deep down Javier knew that he cared. Angel would never betray him. In that moment, something in Javier's eyes changed and he took a step back from his friend. "No," he said angrily, "you're wrong Eduardo. Angel would never hurt me, he cares about me. Also, what do you mean you saw into the future? That's the biggest load of baloney I've ever heard. Now, come on and shape up you wimp. We finally got our wings on this damn flower; let's give it to Angel."

Eduardo shook his head rapidly and took a few steps back from Javier like an animal afraid of a predator. "Please Javier, listen to me. Did Angel ever actually tell you what he wants with this thing, or are you just following his orders blindly?"

Javier narrowed his eyes and his beak curled into a frustrated sneer. "Of course I know what his plans are. This is one of four items we need to power up a relic lost in the ruins of the outskirts of Rio. Once we do that," he cackled and rubbed his wings together, "we will all have the ultimate power to strike back at those who hurt us. I know just who I will go after first," he continued insanely, "those savage jaguars. They will regret murdering my parents. Join us Eduardo," Javier pleaded," you can get your revenge on those selfish humans who ruined your life just to make an easy buck. Admit it, you hate them. You want to get even, NOW GIVE ME THE GODDAMN FLOWER, SO WE CAN MOVE ON!"

Tears began to fall down Eduardo's cheeks as he realized that he could barely recognize the bird in front of him, the one that he called his friend. He seemed to be so blinded by his hatred that he couldn't see that he was being used by a greater evil. "Do you even hear yourself right now Javier," he asked, "you're talking about killing millions of innocent creatures. It's not right and you know it. I know you miss your parents, so do I. There isn't a day I don't think about them and what my life could have been like. But you know what? I made peace with the humans who captured my parents. I learned that if I couldn't forgive them, I would never be free. I could never even have the chance to live a normal, happy life. I may not be living the perfect life now, but at least I found a friend in you. Please Javier, I beg of you, don't let your rage consume you and turn you into something you're not. Angel doesn't care about you, I do. He's just using you. Come with me, we'll face the world together. We'll find you a better bird than that Ana," he said nudging Javier playfully. "Someone sweet and kind, not vain like she is." Eduardo wiped the tears from his eyes and held out a wing to Javier. "What do you say buddy?"

But Javier's heart had already been blackened by his hatred. He lunged at Eduardo and tackled him to the ground. Cackling, he beat his friend with his large wings mercilessly. "You're a fool Eduardo, and if you won't help me get even then this is where we part ways" Javier pulled out his signature deadly blade from his belt and prepared to strike a blow that would end Eduardo's life. Smiling wickedly he whispered: "Goodbye, friend."

Eduardo; however, thought fast and quickly picked up a rock with one of his pinned wings and smashed it into Javier's skull. Javier let out a loud, surprised gasp before falling unconscious as blood stained the impact spot. Eduardo stood up on his talons and brushed the dirt off his body. Holding the flower to his chest, he set his beak in a determined stare. _They will never find it, _he promised himself, _I will protect this flower from their evil or I will go to my grave attempting to._ With that, Eduardo lifted his talons from the dirty ground of the Amazon floor and took to the sky, a bird changed for the better.

#

Javier smiled wickedly as he thought of how Eduardo would react to seeing him again after all these years. "Yes Angel," he agreed, "an excellent plan indeed. I will go to his home and act as if I've had a change of heart. I will tell him that I've escaped your evil clutches and have been searching for him for years. Now that I've finally found him I will say that we can protect the flower together. He's nothing but a fool. At the very thought that there is a chance we could be friends again, he will tell me where it is. And when he does, I will return the rock to the head he dealt me so long ago, only this time it will be fatal."

Angel cackled demonically at the sound of Javier's diabolical plan. He wrapped a wing around Javier and beamed with pride. "Now that's the genius I knew was hiding inside of you all these years," he praised. "Go and make that Spix's macaw wish he had turned down my offer all those years ago."

#

Javier flew through the Spix's macaws' grove of trees, attempting to keep a low profile. Whenever one of them looked his way, surprised at seeing an outsider in their town, he returned their glance with a friendly smile and a wave. It seemed to put them at ease every time. Javier smiled sneakily as he continued on. _They're just as gullible as he is, _he thought. Javier was impressed with how beautiful the area was. A large river ran through the center of the group of trees, and nearby a huge selection of fruit and nut trees could be found. _How the hell did he find this place?_, he wondered, _I would kill to live here. _Eventually, Javier arrived at his destination, Eduardo's home. He had discovered the location after spying on this neighborhood for days with his colleagues. Javier's heart beat with nervous anticipation. _All right, settle down Javier, _he told himself, _you're only gonna get one shot to pull this off. It's gonna have to be real convincing. Put your best fake smile on and let's do this! _Javier plastered a grin on his face that said "Hey! I really missed you. How are you doing?" and flew through the hole in the tree that acted as an entrance.

When Javier stepped inside, he noticed that there was only one bird inside, Eduardo. His back was to Javier and he didn't seem to have heard him come in. _Damn, it would be so easy to just strangle him now, _Javier thought angrily, _but I need him._ He took this opportunity to survey the inside of Eduardo's house. The floor was decorated with a small straw placemat, and there were little handmade blankets hung on the walls. Javier silently crept over to a tiny wooden table that had a picture frame on top of it. The photo appeared to have been taken by the river he had passed by. Eduardo was in the picture with two female birds, one big and one small. He guessed that these two were Eduardo's wife and daughter. Javier smiled, pleased that these two were not here at the moment to interfere with his plans. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Eduardo was beginning to turn around. Quickly, he moved towards the tree's entrance and put his innocent face back on again. When Eduardo fully spun around and saw who was inside his home, his feathers turned as white as a ghost. He appeared to be speechless and didn't move a muscle. Javier let out a big breath and spoke: "Hey Eduardo," he said pleasantly, "How are you doing?" Eduardo continued to stare blankly at Javier. He began to shake with fear that the military macaw was here to harm him. Javier took a step closer to the Spix's macaw and Eduardo likewise took a step back. "Please don't be afraid," Javier begged, "I'm not here to hurt you." Javier placed a wing on his heart before he continued: "As much as I don't want to admit it Eddy, you were right all along."

Eduardo's shoulders relaxed just the slightest bit but he still made no motion towards Javier. "Wha-wha-what do you mean?" he stuttered with his wings crossed over his chest.

Javier looked down at the wooden floor to give the impression that he was too ashamed to look Eduardo in the eye. "Not long after you and I… split up, I found plans in the room Angel used to sleep in at our old lair. He was going to betray us all and take that power that we were after for himself. I became very afraid and knew that I had to find you. I had to apologize. So I ran away before he could find out what I had done. I spent years trying to figure out where you were, it's a really big rainforest you know? Finally; however, I found you and I wanted to say that from the bottom of my heart I'm sorry I attacked you. I'm sorry I called you all those terrible names and I promise that I will work as hard as I can to repair what I damaged.

The dark blue color returned to Eduardo's feathers and at last he released the breath he had been holding for an unsafe time. He walked over to his old friend and pulled him into a hug. "I forgive you," he said. Eduardo released Javier from his grip and gave him a high-five. He laughed before saying: "It really is good to see you again Javier. I am so glad you came around. After you left I found the most amazing bird. Her name is Alicia; you two will get along together great."

Javier nodded and swallowed a nervous lump in his throat. _Here goes nothing, _he thought. "That's really great news Eduardo. I can't wait to meet her, it's just-"

Concern began to make its way into Edurado's eyes. "Just what?" he asked.

"It's just I was wondering where is that flower we were fighting over?" Javier inquired. "You didn't lose it did you?"

Eduardo took a step away from Javier. His eyes began to dart all around his home. "No, I didn't lose it. However, I think it's best if I didn't tell you where it is. That thing only caused trouble between us. There is no reason to bring it out again."

Javier could feel the old fire brewing up inside his feathers once more. _Damn it, _he thought frustratedly, _he still doesn't trust me. He's smarter than I thought he was. _Fighting his growing impatience, Javier explained as calmly as he could: "Chill Ed, I'm not going to take it. I told you that life is behind me now. I just want to know where it is so I can help you keep it from falling into the wrong wings."

Eduardo nodded his head. "That's very thoughtful of you Javier, but I've kept it safe for many years now. Don't take this the wrong way, but I don't need your help."

Javier was becoming so angry he had to look away from the Spix's macaw. When he did so, his eyes widened in surprise at an approaching Spix's macaw. Before long, the female landed in the tree right in front of him. He had never seen a bird with feathers the color she possessed. Their shade of blue was so light, she was almost devoid of all color. Her feathers atop her head were long and smooth. She wasn't just beautiful; she was stunning. Javier could feel envy piling on top of the rage he has already been feeling. He smiled wickedly as he quickly thought of a plan B.

Alicia's beak formed a sincere, friendly smile and she waved at the two birds in front of her. "Hey Honey," she said to Eduardo, "who's this?"

Before Eduardo could answer, Javier leapt forward and grabbed Alicia. Her eyes widened in shock but when she attempted to scream, she was cut off as Javier wrapped his wing tightly around her neck. Eduardo began to run to help his wife but was stopped when Javier held up his other wing. Eduardo made his voice as deep and threatening as he could. "Don't hurt her Javier," he commanded, "I will not hesitate to defend my family."

Javier smiled, amused at the bird's display of strength. "Oh Eddy, I wouldn't dream of harming such a gorgeous creature. Just tell me where the flower is and I will be on my way." Eduardo was silent, contemplating on whether or not Javier was bluffing. His thoughts were answered as Javier tightened his grip around Alicia's neck causing her to choke and gasp for breath. "Tick, tock Eddy your little wifey-poo needs a little thing called oxygen!" he taunted.

Eduardo narrowed his eyes and shouted: "Fine! We let our daughter wear it in her hair today when she went out with her friends. She thinks it's a gift from her mother; she knows nothing of its importance. When she comes back to the tree hollow, you can grab it from her. I won't stop you."

Javier nodded his head approvingly. "Thank you Eduardo for being so cooperative," he said sarcastically. He then put his free wing to his beak as if he was continuing to think things over. "There's just one little problem with your offer," he said, "I want to make sure you don't chase after me when I have the flower in my possession." Then, before Eduardo could react, Javier swung Alicia's head into the sharp bark of the tree once, twice, three times with such force that her neck snapped after the second impact. The loud, sickening crunch of breaking bones and the sight of his wife's blood caused Eduardo to vomit all over the straw placemat in his home. Without so much as a second's delay, Javier dropped Alicia's dead body out of the tree's entrance where it landed on the jungle floor with a resounding thud. Javier turned around to face Eduardo once more, brushed his wings together to rid them of his victim's blood, and then allowed a cruel, sadistic grin to blanket his face.

Eduardo, meanwhile, was turning purple with rage. His wings were curled into tight fists and he was breathing like a bull about to charge. His eyes were nothing but dark pits of pure, bitter hatred. "I can't believe I used to call you my friend. I never saw you for what you really were. You're nothing but an evil, heartless monster!" he growled.

Javier threw his head back and let out a cackle so vicious it sent chills down Eduardo's spine. "Oh Eduardo, you're still such a fool even after all these years. What you still don't seem to be able to comprehend is that I actually enjoy being evil. I love hurting other creatures. I want them to feel the same level of pain I felt when my parents were killed. Now, you will be the next to feel that level of suffering before I finally end you once and for all!"

"You're wrong!" Eduardo hissed lowering himself into a defensive position. "I hope you brought your A game you twisted freak, because I am going to send you to your grave, just like I should have done so long ago."

Javier dropped into a fighting stance as well. He cackled once more and grinned at the thought of seeing his best friend turned archenemy fall at his power. "We'll just see about that you pathetic excuse for a bird. You were never as strong as me; you just got lucky last time. I have waited years to get even and I will wait no longer. LET'S FIGHT!" he yelled.

However, before either bird could tear the other apart, the sound of motorized vehicles filled the air. Both creatures froze and forgot about their feud. Instead, they focused on the common fear that gripped their souls. "What was that?" Javier asked.

While he was distracted; however, Eduardo smashed the picture frame of his family on top of Javier's head. Javier screamed with pain as he felt the glass cut his face to pieces. "You really need to stop getting so distracted stupid," Eduardo spat.

Javier was nearly blind with fury at this point. Consumed with white-hit rage he tackled Eduardo to the ground and struck him with his wing repeatedly. Javier laughed insanely at seeing Eduardo struggle in agony. "Who's laughing now, huh Eddy?" he asked. "Seems like you're experiencing some deja vu, only this time there are no rocks around." Javier pulled out his blade once more and again prepared to end Eduardo's life. Before he could; however, the tree lurched forward and threw Javier off of Eduardo. Javier went flying out of the tree's hole and landed hard on the ground below. He groaned with pain and then screamed with rage as he saw Eduardo flying away from the tree as quickly as he could. Javier looked to his right and saw a human dressed in moss-green shorts, a khaki colored vest, and orange construction hat sawing the tree they had been in moments before. As Javier attempted to lift himself off the ground and give chase to Eduardo, a branch from the tree broke off and landed right on Javier's head, knocking him unconscious.

#

Javier returned to his team's lair later that day with a bruise the size of a baseball on his head. It was purple, green, and hideous. The cuts on his face from the glass frame didn't do anything for his complexion either. When Javier stepped up to the planning stump, all jaws of the birds present dropped. Ana, whose eyes were filled to the brim with pity for her mate, rushed over to comfort him. However, Javier held up a wing which caused her to freeze in her tracks. "Not now Ana," Javier mumbled looking at the ground. Ana nodded silently and backed away to her former position.

Manolo whistled and said: "Damn bro, those macaws really screwed you up."

Javier whirled his head around and shouted: "You say one more word and I will make you look ten times worse than I do right now!"

Manolo fell silent and toyed with his wings just so he wouldn't have to look at Javier. Meanwhile, Angel approached the military macaw. He clicked his beak and crossed his long, thin wings disapprovingly. "I take it you failed your mission, huh Javier?" he asked.

Javier refused to look at the falcon. He was too ashamed. He slammed his wings down onto the stump, causing Ana and Manolo to jump. "I almost had him," he admitted, "but some humans just had to come along and mess everything up. Now, I have no clue where he is, where his daughter is, or where the flower is."

Angel's face scrunched up in confusion. "Who gives a damn about his daughter?" he asked.

Javier looked at his boss and explained: "His daughter has the flower. After I woke up from having a branch fall on my head, I searched all over the grove for her. She wasn't there though, nobody was. The humans scared all the Spix's macaws away. Now we're back to square one," he finished exasperated.

Angel sighed and shook his head. "Well, Javier I'm very disappointed in you." he said.

Javier sat down on the cave's cold, rocky floor and agreed: "I'm disappointed in me too. I'm a failure, I can never do anything right."

Angel crouched down and pulled Javier down into a supportive hug. "That's not true Javier; don't get discouraged. We'll get that flower someday, alright. Until then, keep your chin up. We'll track down that traitor's daughter before you know it."

Javier smiled and returned the falcon's hug. "Yeah, thanks Angel," he said, "I really needed that."

Angel grinned as well. "No problem buddy, now take a break. You look like hell."

Javier saluted the falcon and said pleasantly: "Will do boss."

Angel then walked away to the back of the cave while Ana and Manolo stepped up to Javier to cheer him up some more. When Angel was out of his teammates' sight; however, his face contorted with rage and he cursed Javier with every vile name he could think of.


	17. Chapter 17: Jewel Hits Rock Bottom

**Chapter 17: Jewel Hits Rock Bottom**

After Javier had finished his story, Jewel just kind of stood where she had taken her nap. She was pretty much lost in space, trying her best to process everything that had just been revealed to her. Pretty much everything she had ever known had been a lie. Jewel had known nothing of her father's criminal past. She had always looked up to him as a good role model. Sure, he had turned his life around in the end, but it would have been better if he had been totally honest with her. Even worse; however, was what Javier had told her about her mother's death. She had been wrong this whole time. For years, she had believed it was the loggers who had caused the loss of her mom, but really she had been murdered by the cruel, heartless military macaw. The humans may have destroyed her home, but it dawned on Jewel that if they hadn't shown up when they did her father would have been killed as well. Jewel wiped a tear from her eye with her good wing and shuddered as the pain of her past threatened to consume her. The good news that her father had survived that day was outweighed by the tremendous loss. She shifted her gaze to the bird who had taken her mother from her. He still held her unborn babies in his large, dangerous wings. Her good wing curled into a fist and she began to see red; she was so furious. Nearly shaking with unbridled hatred, Jewel snapped: "You… it was you. You took my parents from me, you destroyed what happiness I had, you ruined my life!"

Javier cackled, his face practically glowing with pleasure at the macaw's anger towards him. "That's right Jewel. It was I who took your precious mommy from you. She never even had a chance to defend herself, or say goodbye to your dad. You should have seen his face; he looked so crushed it was almost as if I had killed him too."

Jewel was about to lose it. If Javier wasn't holding her children hostage in his grasp, she would have charged him already. HE wouldn't even have a chance to defend himself from her. She pointed an angry wing at him and threatened: "You better wipe that damn grin off your face you unfeeling psychopath! What kind of bird finds it funny when someone is devastated? You're the foulest, most rotten scum I've ever had the displeasure of meeting in my life and I've encountered some pretty sick folks. Since you get such a kick out of other creatures' pain how about I show you some? The second you put my eggs down I will personally kick your a-"

"Whoa, whoa!" Javier interrupted gleefully. His beak held a playful grin as he couldn't resist messing with Jewel during a time when she was clearly struggling emotionally. "Clearly you haven't read any books on babies Jewel. Don't you realize that chicks can hear what's going on outside the egg, and you're using foul language. They're gonna grow up talking like sailors and it's gonna be all your fault," he joked.

"Alright, that is quite enough!" Blu growled furiously. Like Jewel, he couldn't wait to strangle Javier for all he had done but was too afraid that Javier would hurt their eggs. "I am sick and tired you torturing my mate, and I will put up with it no longer. You have ten seconds to hand over our eggs and get the hell out of here before I come at you so fast you won't even be able to throw the eggs!"

Javier turned to Blu and laughed at him as well. "Oh, you can talk? I had no idea," he taunted cruelly. "I'll be leaving in your wildest dreams. First, little blue beauty over there," he said motioning to Jewel," is gonna have to give me what I came here for. Hand over the flower sweetie, you've stalled quite enough."

"Never!" Jewel screeched, still holding onto the flower. "You're insane if you think I'll hand you something that could potentially cause harm to every bird in Rio! My parents gave me this thing for a reason. They entrusted me to protect it from the likes of you and I will not let them down."

Javier smirked, knowing that he held all the power in this situation. There was nothing either macaw present could do to stop him now. "Come on little girl," he patronized, "be wise. I think you already know what I'm capable of. I smashed your mom's brains in for God's sake. Just give me the flower, and you can have your eggs back. Don't make the same mistake your dad made all those years ago."

Jewel was so stressed from the weight of the decision that she could feel the blood pounding in her head, causing a sharp migraine. She truly didn't know what to do. If she held on to the flower there was no question that Javier would destroy her eggs. She would never recover from the grief that would overwhelm her, knowing that she was the one responsible for their deaths. On the other wing; however, millions of innocent lives were at stake if she handed it over. Jewel didn't care what Javier said about this Angel character, obviously what her father had seen was the truth. Javier was just too stupid to realize it, or he ignored it because the thought of Angel hurting him was apparently too much to bear. After several minutes of going back and forth in her mind, sorting through all the pros and cons, the room was so quiet you could hear an artificial leaf fall. Javier tapped his heavy talon on the floor of the room. He was beginning to grow impatient and his wing was practically itching to hurl Blu and Jewel's eggs on the ground. Blu was standing in the place he had been since Javier began his tale. He was nibbling his claws, packed to the brim with anxiety over what course of action Jewel would take. He wished he could do something, anything to save their eggs from Javier so Jewel wouldn't have to hand over the flower but he couldn't think of a plan. Blu knew how much the flower meant to Jewel as it was the last thing she had to remind her of her mother and her old life. It probably meant even more to her now that she knew the true fate of her mother and the damage it had the potential to cause. Blu didn't want to influence Jewel's decision but he secretly hoped that she would give the flower to Javier. He knew in his mind it was selfish because it put other creatures' lives in danger, but these were his kids. Blu would die if something happened to those eggs. He snuck a peek at his mate who appeared to be tormented by the choice she was being forced to make. Suddenly, her face appeared to relax. She let out a breath that she had been holding for a dangerous amount of time and looked at Blu. Blu's eyes widened and he held his breath. He expected that this was the sign she had chosen not to give Javier the flower. She had picked total strangers over their kids. Blu knew Jewel was attempting to be noble, but he didn't know if he could forgive her for this. He had been so excited to be a father and now it wasn't going to happen. Blu couldn't bring himself to look at Jewel; his heart was shattering into a million tiny pieces. Instead, he looked down at the floor underneath his talons and began to cry quietly. Jewel, meanwhile, spoke with pure and utter assurance of the choice she had made: "Fine Javier, you win. Take this goddamn flower. All it does is ruin the life of whoever has it. You want that baggage, be my guest you moron."

Blu's neck snapped up when he took in the words that had left Jewel's beak. She was giving him the flower? He hadn't seen this coming, and now he tried his hardest not to let his pleasure due to Jewel's choice show on his face. She looked as if she was about to burst into tears as she tossed the flower in Javier's direction. Javier eagerly stretched a wing out so that the flower landed softly in his grasp. He looked down at it and smiled greedily. He raised the flower in victory and shouted proudly: "YES! I've finally done it! Suck it Eduardo, suck it all you jerks who doubted me! Look who has the last laugh now. Oh, hold up? Who is it? That's right," he said pointing to himself, "ME! At last, I can realize my goals. My parents' deaths will finally be avenged. You better watch out jaguars, you fools won't be alive for much longer," he cackled.

Then, Javier did an extremely painful to watch celebratory dance before Jewel interjected with an angry yell: "Okay, Javier. I did what you asked, now give the eggs back!"

Javier stopped dancing and turned to look at Jewel once more. He arched an eyebrow, amused by her daring behavior. "Oh, please take them. I am getting quite tired of holding on to these useless little things," he said looking at them with disgust. "But first, tie your wings behind your back with these. I can't have you two giving chase the minute I relinquish my hostages."

He reached onto the leather belt around his waist that held his sword and pulled off two pairs of zipties. He threw one pair to Blu and one to Jewel. Both landed on the floor in front of each macaw. Each bird looked down at the plastic ring with a venoumous glare. "You're kidding right?" challenged Blu. "You really expect us to do what you're saying right now? It's almost like you're begging us to let you run off with our eggs, or just smash them without us being able to stop you. Screw you, I've had it with this."

Javier's eyes darkened with rage towards the impudent bird. "Is that so? Well, I've had just about enough of you not listening to a word I've been saying all night!" he bellowed.

Then, Javier raised his wing containing one of the eggs and prepared to throw it down on the floor where it would shatter into a million tiny pieces. "NO!" Jewel pleaded tears forming in her eyes. Javier paused for a moment and glanced at the macaw with a sneaky smile on his face. Jewel quickly snatched up the ziptie and tied her wings the best she could with only one serviceable wing. "There, see?" she begged. "I did what you asked, now give Blu the eggs please!"

Javier shook his head. He tilted his head up to the sky and spoke slowly as if he was talking to a baby: "You two still aren't doing what I say. You know, you guys are lucky I've given you this many chances so far. I guess I'm just in a good mood because I've finally scored a win after more than a decade of fails. So, I'll give you one more shot to get it right. Once Blu decides to use the genius intellect I know he possesses and ties his wings up, I will place the eggs oh so gently down in front of him, okay?"

Blu looked at Jewel, and Jewel looked at Blu. They both just stared at each other for a while, hoping beyond hope one would come up with an alternate solution. But neither managed to. Jewel turned her head to the ground, defeated, and spoke with more despair than she had ever done in her life: "Blu, there's no other way. Just do what he says and we'll hope for the best."

All hope seemed to have drained from Blu's eyes. He was so depressed he imagined his feathers gray and colorless. He could have sworn a cloud was located right above his head, pouring a relentless, bone-chilling rain on him. His dreams of being a father were over. Blu knew Javier was never going to live up to his word; he certainly hadn't done so when he murdered Eduardo's wife. But there appeared to be nothing he could do. He nodded as slowly as a sloth, and reached down to pick up the ziptie. Ignoring Javier's self-satisfied stare, Blu wrapped his wings in the thick, irritating plastic and sat down. "Okay, I did it. Now give me the eggs."

Javier cackled insanely and grinned like a serial killer stalking his prey. "With pleasure," he exclaimed, "here you go!" Then, he threw all four of Blu and Jewel's wing high into the air. He laughed wickedly as they reached their apex and began to fall to their doom. Jewel screeched so loudly, she must have been heard all the way in Canada. Blu; however, wasn't about to sit idly by and watch his kids die. He lept forward, his wings still useless, and landed right under the eggs. What happened next was nothing short of a miracle. The eggs landed safely on Blu's soft, cushiony back and rolled right to Jewel who quickly sat on them. Javier's beak dropped in astonishment. "Damn it!" he cursed his wings clenched in tight fists. "I was hoping to have an added bonus to my already successful night. Whatever, you two will still be punished having to deal with screaming chicks when you're trying to get your recommended eight hours of sleep." Javier saluted the two Spix's macaws who were still tied up and lifted off the ground, flower in his talons. "Peace losers!" he yelled before taking off through the broken ventilation shaft.

Blu was gasping with relief when Javier finally left. He flipped over on his back and began to scoot over to Jewel. When he was right next to Jewel, she leaned down and bit the plastic binding Blu's wings until the ziptie broke and Blu was freed. Blu sighed with delight that he could move his wings again. "Whoo, I never thought I'd be a bird-pretzel in my lifetime but I guess there's a first time for everything huh?" he chuckled. His silly demeanor evaporated; however, when he noticed the forlorn expression on Jewel's beak. A single tear squeezed through her eyelid and dampened her light blue feather. Blu's eyes widened with worry, and he quickly went to work biting Jewel free of her restraints. "There," he said when the ziptie fell from Jewel's body. "You're all good now Jewel, don't worry and so are the eggs." He nudged Jewel with his wing playfully and attempted to cheer her up by saying: "Pretty slick move I pulled there wouldn't you say? Who knew I had a little bit of an acrobat in me." Jewel still wasn't amused. She began to cry harder, which made Blu tear up as well. He quickly wrapped his big, strong dark blue wings around her and pulled her into a hug. "Jewel, please don't cry" he begged. "It'll be okay I promise. We'll get the flower back eventually. It'll all work out you'll see. The important thing right now is that the eggs are okay. Once they hatch, we'll go looking for it alright? But right now, we have to stay right here and look after them. They need us."

Jewel shifted her head so that she was sobbing into Blu's chest. Blu could feel his feathers getting wetter and wetter, but he really didn't mind. Such were the duties when you were one's mate. "Blu, you don't understand" Jewel whispered hopelessly. "My life has never been okay, and it never will be. Did you not hear what that lunatic was saying earlier? He ruined my life. My mother is dead, my childhood home is destroyed, I will never see my father again. I had one thing that reminded me of them; that flower was the sole connection I had to my past left and he took that from me too. I thought things were looking up at last when I met you, but look what has happened since. Our lives have been threatened a total of three times since then. Tonight, our kids almost died too. The notion that I will ever be truly happy is nothing but a cruel, pathetic joke. It's pretty clear that I was just destined to be miserable my whole life."

Blu closed his eyes and continued to cry. Jewel was so upset she was trembling. Her breathing came out shallow and ragged, and her tears continued to fall like waterfalls. He rubbed Jewel's back and attempted to soothe her, but it wasn't working. He was becoming quite anxious himself. The way Jewel was speaking was beginning to seriously worry him. She sounded as if she was giving up, like she had lost the will to live. Tonight she had been assaulted with so much negative news that it threatened to swallow her in an endless pit of despair. This was not the Jewel he once knew. She used to be spunky, cocky, full of energy and confidence. Now, she was broken, hurt, and hated the world more than ever. Suddenly, Blu opened his eyes and his beak dropped slightly. His eyes shined with assurance of what he must do. He had to light Jewel's fire once more. He needed to show her that even in the darkest of situations there was still the faintest glimmer of hope. Blu knew just how to do that. He released Jewel from his grip and turned her head so that she was looking into his eyes. Jewel's eyes were red and dry from crying so hard. It pained Blu to see her suffering but he knew he had to go on. "Jewel," he began, "believe it or not I do understand. I know what it's like to have everything you hold dear be ripped away from you in the blink of an eye. I know what it's like to feel alone, as if you're the only bird in the world and no one cares for you. However, I also know how even when nothing seems like it could go right again, life has a funny way of proving you wrong."

Jewel's tears eased up ever so slightly and her beak scrunched up in confusion. "Wha-what do you mean?" she murmured tiredly.

"I'm going to tell you a story," Blu started with a faraway look in his eyes, "the story of how I lost my parents, and then found the kindest person that I believe has ever existed on this planet.


	18. Chapter 18: Blu Finally Opens Up

**Chapter 18: Blu Finally Opens Up**

Jewel stared at Blu for what seemed like an eternity; although, in reality it was merely a couple of minutes. She blinked her eyes in a futile attempt to relieve them of the dryness caused by her crying moments earlier. A lot of thoughts were running through her mind but she kept settling on one: _Why now?, _she thought. _How come all of a sudden he wants to tell me about his parents? Is it because I'm upset and he feels guilty? How is another sad story supposed to make me feel better? _Blu stared back at Jewel. Her sadness seemed to be transitioning into anger for some reason. He gulped nervously and began to speak again: "Jewel-" he began.

"What?" Jewel interrupted furiously. "Why now Blu? How come you can suddenly trust me now? It's because I'm really vulnerable isn't it? That way I won't pressure you with any questions; I'll just sit there and listen. Wow, you must really think little of me if you had to wait until a moment like this."

Blu began to shake with fear that Jewel would lash out at him, but he didn't back away. A hurt expression settled on his face, and his eyes began to fill with tears once more. "N-no," he stammered quietly, "that's not it at all Jewel. You see-" Blu paused and swallowed a sob before continuing- "I'll admit it Jewel. I was jealous."

Now Jewel was confused. She turned her head from side to side as if she wasn't sure which direction she was supposed to turn in. "Jealous?" she asked incredolously. "What part of my sad, trauma-ridden life could you possibly be jealous of?"

Blu looked down at his dark blue feathers. He toyed with his wings nervously before speaking so quietly Jewel could barely hear him: "Jewel, you had it so much better than I did, but you don't realize it. You have years of memories to look back on with your family and friends. I would kill to have played a game with other birds my own age, had my mother give me a birthday present, my father teach me everything he knew about the jungle. Do you know how old I was when my parents disappeared? I was only two days old; the remains of my egg were still in our hollow. It upsets me when I hear you talk about how terrible your life is when you don't know how good you had it. I just wanted you to realize your life wasn't all bad. That's why I'm telling you now. And Jewel, as for thinking little of you, I think you're one of the strongest birds I've ever met. You've faced so much adversity in your life, and you come out on top every time. Don't let this jerk get to you. If you do, Javier will win. All I ask is that you don't give up. I couldn't bear to lose you too."

The anger in Jewel's eyes began to disappear. She looked down at her lap: "I-I guess I never really thought about it that way." Jewel wiped any remaining tears from her eyes and shook her head to clear her mind. She had a pounding headache from the emotional rollercoaster she had ridden tonight. If Blu wasn't beginning to open up to her finally, she would have fallen asleep right where she was sitting. Blu made a lot of sense, even if she didn't want to admit it. Sure, bad things had happened to her but bad things had happened to him too. She wasn't the only one with baggage. Jewel couldn't even begin to imagine losing your parents at an age when you couldn't even understand what was happening. That must have been unimaginably hard for Blu. Maybe she had been more blessed than she thought she was. Maybe, just maybe, her life hadn't been all that bad. Suddenly, Jewel felt really ashamed. She was acting terribly selfish, she realized. Yes, she lost her mother and yes she wouldn't see her father ever again, but Blu had lost his parents too. She couldn't believe herself, what was wrong with her? "Gee Blu, I'm really sorry. God, I really need to learn to stop playing the victim."

Blu hugged Jewel harder and explained himself further. 'I'm not saying that you weren't hurt in your life Jewel, but I'm trying to help you see that you had some good moments in your life too. Moments that birds like I and Javier envy." At the mention of the military macaw, Jewel visibly tensed but Blu continued: "That's why he hurt you Jewel. He was jealous. Birds do terrible things when they want something others have. He saw that you had a loving family and a home when he was being abused by that Angel guy. So, he destroyed your life."

"Yeah," Jewel nodded, "he did. However, I'm not gonna let him ruin it any further." She smiled, her confident and sure of herself nature returning. "I'm gonna show him. I'm gonna be happy with you and our kids and we're gonna get that flower back. No one will be able to stop us and do you know why?"

Blu was now grinning too. "Why?" he asked.

Jewel leaned in and kissed him. "Because we love each other, that's why. Javier and the rest of his crew have no one that truly loves them. They think that power is going to make people respect them, but really it just makes birds hate them more. They'll never be happy, and that gives me peace of mind that no matter how much they think they win, they always lose." She nuzzled Blu's beak with hers, feeling 100% better now. "So," she said as she traced a talon along Blu's soft chest, "now that I'm calm, what did happen to your parents?"

Blu looked down at the ground again and laughed. "That's the worst part of it," he said, "I'm never gonna know. I don't know if they're dead or alive; I just don't know. They left me in the hollow that day to run out and get something." He paused to chuckle, attempting to make what was really a tragic story more lighthearted. "Who knows what they were doing; I was just a newborn. After they left, my neighbors all came out of their hollows and started throwing what seemed like a big party." Blu smiled as he recalled this next part. "I don't know if they were celebrating something specific, or if they were just dancing and singing because the weather was really nice. What I do know is I will never forget the feeling I felt that day."

Jewel who had been listening intently so far couldn't resist asking this question: "What did you feel?" she whispered.

Blu looked at Jewel with more seriousness in his eyes than she had ever seen in her life. "I felt like I was a part of something really special. All those birds, all different species, were just having fun. There were spoonbills, toucans, all different colors of macaws. It was one of the best moments of my life; it was truly magical." Blu's eyes quickly shifted emotions, from happy reminiscence to cold dread, as he remembered the next part of his past. "But just like that," he continued, "it was over."

Jewel shook her head. "I-I don't understand. What do you mean, over? Did the speakers break or something?" she asked trying to make a joke.

Blu laughed loudly: "You know it's actually kind of weird. I don't even know where the music was coming from. It was like one of those animated movies where the impossible happens."

Jewel cocked her head. "I don't get it." she said.

Blu waved his wing in a dismissive gesture. He sometimes forgot that Jewel had never watched a movie; thus, wouldn't understand. "Never mind," he said. " Anyway, everyone was having so much fun, and I wanted to join in. I was really little so it took me a while to waddle over to the hole in our tree."

Jewel giggled: "I bet you were a really cute baby Blu."

He shrugged his shoulders: "That's what Linda's always told me. When I reached the exit, I spread my tiny wings and prepared myself to fly for the first time. I still remember that I felt like a really big boy, trying something new when my parents weren't around. Out of nowhere; however, these nets came in and started capturing birds right before my eyes."

Jewel's wings shot to her beak in shock. Her eyes were now filled with pity for her mate. She had no idea that humans had caused him to lose his parents too. "Oh my God Blu, smugglers captured your parents didn't they?"

Blu shook his head. "No, they were still away doing whatever when the people showed up. Unfortunately, anyone who was out of there tree partying got captured that day. I never saw any of those birds again, but sometimes I imagine that their lives aren't too bad. I hope some of them got good owners like I did. I got really scared when the nets started falling down, and what sucked is since I was getting ready to leave my tree I fell out of it."

"Oh my gosh!" Jewel said a little louder than she had intended. The pain in her voice could be heard loud and clear. Tears would have come to her eyes if they hadn't already been well spent that night. She pulled Blu in for a supportive hug and rubbed his back to show that she felt bad for him. "You poor thing! You fell out of a tree and you were just a little baby who was-". A look of understanding crept onto Jewel's facial features. It was as if a lightbulb had lit up in her mind after all this time. She let go of Blu gently as she continued to put two and two together.

Blu was now growing concerned for his mate. His face wrinkled with worry as he watched Jewel who appeared to be deep in thought. He worried that his story was starting to bring up unpleasant memories of her mother falling out of her home tree. "Um Jewel," he asked tentatively, "you alright?"

Jewel just continued to stare off into space as if Blu hadn't said anything. Everything made sense now. She repeated what she had said at first, but this time finished her sentence: "You were just a little baby who was trying to fly for the first time."

Blu exhaled, relieved that he hadn't upset Jewel. However, he was still unsure of what she was getting at. "I'm sorry Jewel," he said, "I don't follow."

"Blu," Jewel looked into her mate's eyes, "don't you see? It's why you've always been afraid to fly. Deep down you've always associated flying with that day. I'm no doctor but it sounds logical, right? I mean, I haven't played a game of soccer since the day my mom died; I don't even like to watch the games. Maybe it was just one of those situations where that trauma held you back. I think there's a name for that, something with a bunch of letters?"

Blu nodded and blinked his eyes a couple of times as he took in all that Jewel was saying: "Yeah, yeah, it's called PTSD." Blu scratched his head with a talon. He had always been ashamed that he couldn't fly, but he had always chalked it up to the fact that he hadn't had parents to teach him. On the other hand; however, he would be lying to himself if he didn't admit that he had thought several times over the last few days how it was weird that he had been able to fly in an instant when Jewel was in danger. "Wow," Blu said to himself aloud as things started to become clear to him too. "I wonder if I really was able to fly all these years, but the pain of my past was holding me back." He shook his head, upset that he had wasted all those years being stuck in Linda's bookshop when he could have flown outside and played with the geese in his town. Tears came to Blu's eyes and he turned away from Jewel, angry at himself. "I wish there had been someone I could have confided in a long time ago," he said in between sobs, "but no birds cared and Linda couldn't understand me. I lost all that time, and I'll never get it back."

"Hey, hey," Jewel said and quickly wrapped Blu up into another hug, "Blu it's okay. Do you hear me; it's okay. I've wasted years of my life too. All that time I was angry at the world, I could fly, but I wasn't living. I was miserable. When my mom died, I lost a part of me too. Nothing was ever able to fill that hole until you showed up." Jewel released Blu from her grip and cupped his beak in her wings so that he was looking right at her. She began to blush and giggled shyly: "Do you see what you do to me Blu? You bring out that carefree bird that got lost when those loggers and Javier showed up." She rolled her eyes as she said in air quotes: "As a certain toucan might say you made me feel the samba in my heart again." As she said this, Jewel did a little twirl which made Blu chuckle.

Blu wiped his tears and said: "You did the same for me Jewel. It started at the samba club when we shared our first dance."

Jewel nodded and blissfully closed her eyes. A wide grin spread across her beak as she recalled her first dance with Blu. It was the moment where she saw the full scope of his personality. She saw that he could have fun and let loose, so she did the same. It had been the first time in years that she hadn't hidden behind a shield to prevent herself from being hurt further. "That's when it began for me too," Jewel agreed giddily. "It's so strange how much we have in common."

Blu nodded: "When you really pick it apart Jewel, we lived pretty much the same life. We both experienced something traumatic at a young age. We both had something the other didn't: I had someone to take care of me, but you had your freedom. We were both broken and unhappy in our own way, but when we met-"

"We completed each other," Jewel finished, nearly bursting with happiness. Then, she hungrily pulled Blu's beak to hers and kissed him harder than she had ever before. She loved him so much she often could not put it into words, but she really didn't need to because it was so simple: Blu completed her. She needed him and couldn't live without him. When they weren't together, life was bleak and sad. There had always been something missing for Jewel but no longer. When Blu and Jewel finally pulled their beaks apart, they kept their heads together as Jewel whispered: "You showed me how to live again."

"And you," Blu whispered, "showed me how to fly."

"And we both showed the other how to love," they said in unison.

The two lovebirds kissed once more, each knowing without having to say it out loud that they would be together for the rest of their lives. They were chained-to-each-other birds; nobody was going to break that bond. Blu pulled his beak away from Jewel's and just looked into her stunning blue eyes for a while. They were so lovely; they almost seemed to put him in a trance. Eventually, Jewel became a little self-concious from Blu's intense gaze so she looked away shyly. "Okay Romeo," she teased, "you know it's impolite to stare." She nudged Blu with her good wing playfully and said excitedly: "Come on, you didn't finish the story! Were you okay after you fell?"

"Oh yeah," Blu assured her, averting his gaze to the ground. "I just landed in some palm leaves. You know, if I had been a little older I might have hidden in the leaves so the people didn't see me. However, I stuck my head up like a moron, basically begging them to capture me, and they saw me and put me in a cage."

"Damn, that sucks." sympathized Jewel. "That's probably what would have happened to me only I was old enough to defend myself."

Blu nodded: "I still don't get why they wanted such a little chick in the first place. Did they honestly think they were gonna get a lot of money for me?"

Jewel rolled her eyes: "I told you Blu. Humans are crazy."

Blu didn't respond. Even though he had been hurt by some people in the past, he still felt a need to defend humans since he had been practically raised by one. "After they captured me, I got shipped to Minnesota by an airplane. When we got there, they put me on a truck with some other birds and we drove for a while. It was really, really cold. I wasn't used to such weather and I didn't know where the truck was taking me. I was freaking out in there. Luckily, the truck had some kind of issue. I couldn't see exactly what happened, but the crate they had me in got thrown from the truck. It landed in the snow on the ground and I became even colder. When I heard the truck drive away, I got more scared than ever. Now I was alone. I had no birds by me, and I would rather be near the smugglers than be alone."

Jewel had her wings held over her beak again. She couldn't believe that Blu had actually been through so much. When she had first met him, she thought he had had an easy life. She expected that he had been raised from birth in a pet store, until Linda bought him. Never would it have crossed her mind that this could have been Blu's backstory. "Were you by yourself for a long time?" she asked.

"No," Blu shook his head rapidly, "It was almost like a miracle. Only a few minutes after I couldn't hear the truck anymore, the lid of the box lifted. I was just a baby, so I hid in the corner when I saw this little girl poke her head in. She was dressed in a pink and white winter coat with a matching hat. She picked me up, and despite my attempts to wriggle out of her grasp she determinedly held me. Linda calmed me down. She stroked my feathers and, I will never forget it, told me that it was okay and that she would take care of me. And well," Blu paused to smile and take in a big breath, "the rest is history."

Jewel nodded her head, impressed. She patted her mate on the back and said: "Well Blu, that was quite a story. Thank you for finally sharing it with me."

"You're welcome," Blu responded. "I don't know why it took me so long to tell you."

"Well in hindsight," Jewel pointed out, "it really didn't take you that long; these last couple of days just seemed to drag on forever. One crazy occurrence after another."

Blu laughed: "Crazy is putting it mildly." His mood then quickly shifted to one of meditation. "I guess in some weird way the universe realized that I was meant to be here and brought me back." Turning to Jewel he continued: "I'm sure I'm the only bird that got captured that day that has been back to Rio since. Maybe someday I can try to find my home tree. I don't remember the drive to the airport taking that long; I probably didn't grow up far from here."

"Whenever you want to go looking, I will be right there with you," Jewel insisted with an excited look on her face. "I would love to see where you grew up, even if it was for a really short time."

Blu smiled at Jewel. He was so lucky to have such a sweet bird as his mate. "Thanks Jewel," he said." Blu picked up one of their eggs and placed it on his lap. "We'd better get some sleep huh? That idiot woke us up in the middle of the night."

Jewel looked around before she remembered there was no window in the room to see if it was still dark out. "Damn it," she muttered, "I hope there's still a while before morning; I'm exhausted."

Blu laid down and Jewel followed his example. "I'll go tell the guys about the eggs tomorrow?" he asked Jewel.

Jewel nodded her head and closed her eyes: "Great idea, but if they end up planning to throw us a party or something tell them to sneak in and do it here. I will never let these eggs out of my sight again."

"All right," Blu agreed. "Consider it done." He replaced the egg he had taken out of its nest and then curled up next to Jewel. Wrapping his wings around her body, he quickly drifted off to sleep. Doing so, he failed to see Jewel smile, happy that she didn't have to be alone tonight.


	19. Chapter 19: Last Party Before Parenthood

**Chapter 19: Last Party Before Parenthood**

Two weeks went by since that fateful night in the aviary: the one when the evil military macaw named Javier threatened to destroy Blu and Jewel's eggs if they would not give him the flower that he and Angel desired. Over the course of those two weeks, Blu tried desperately to recover that plant. The first thing he did was log onto the computer in Tulio's office. Blu developed much experience with technology watching Linda upload funny videos of him in costumes and doing tricks back when he lived in Minnesota. He searched for maps of the city of Rio de Janeiro online, and once he found one that he believed was detailed enough he printed it out. The next step was to make a comprehensive plan in which he would go about searching the city. Blu decided that the best way to find the flower was to fly in a series of circles, beginning on the outskirts of the city and work inward. He knew it would take forever to conduct a thorough search, but he didn't really have much of a choice. Lives were at stake if Javier and his boss accomplished their plans. Each day thereafter, Blu would spend several hours flying on the path he outlined on his map. Unfortunately, after almost two weeks of daily searching, Blu had yet to find the villains much less the flower. Though he didn't yet finish covering the entire area he set out to look in, Blu couldn't bear the thought of doing any more detective work. He desperately wanted to take a break for several days at least. So much flying was exhausting, especially when you were the only one looking. Jewel would have helped, but right now she needed to ensure the eggs were kept warm. Her wing now fully healed, she no longer needed her cast. However, she still wasn't flying. Blu told himself that it would be better for everyone if he refrained from searching for a bit. After all, he wouldn't be doing the best job possible if he was tired. It was vital that he rest now and resume the find later.

Presently, Rio de Janeiro baked under sweltering tropical heat, but Blu and Jewel were keeping cool inside the aviary's artificial jungle. Now that her wing healed Jewel longed to be outside, but she couldn't leave her eggs alone after what happened before. Javier may have continued to be M.I.A., but Jewel suspected that he and his friends weren't finished giving them grief yet. Lucky for Jewel, something was happening today that gave her a chance to put her worries aside for a bit. Today Rafael, Nico, and Pedro stopped by to throw them a party congratulating them on their imminent parenthood!

The morning after he told Jewel about his backstory, Blu traveled to the samba club. He felt so much lighter now that Jewel knew about his past. He would have told her sooner if somebody told him before their first date he'd feel so much better. When Blu arrived and broke the news to Rafael, Rafi hugged him and shook his wing so hard Blu believed Rafael physically damaged him. "Blu my boy," he said with an impossibly wide grin on his beak, "the best days of your life will begin once you are a father. Taking care of my children is the only thing in my life that can top listening to samba music." His tone turned serious; however, as he followed up with a stern warning: "However, it is also hard work. I know for a fact I have aged considerably since my first chick. I hope you and Jewel are ready."

Blu nodded with a determined look on his face. He used to be concerned that he couldn't handle such a responsibility, but things changed since then. Blu now knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was ready to take this big step in life, and not only do the job but do it well. "Don't worry Rafael, Jewel and I are prepared for anything." Blu assured him.

Rafael wrapped one wing around Blu and said approvingly: "I don't doubt that Blu. You've proven yourself to be stronger than most birds I've seen in my day, and I know pretty much everyone! If you need any help though, don't hesitate to ask. I'm more than willing to lend a wing, or just tell you where to find the best hollow trees."

"Thanks Rafi," Blu said sincerely, "You're a great amigo."

After Rafael said, "don't mention it," Nico and Pedro flew down to greet the blue bird. They were almost as thrilled as Rafael to hear that Blu was going to be a father, but they didn't even come close to Rafael's ecstatic response. Nico eagerly offered his services to throw a party to celebrate. Blu took him up on his gesture, but remembering Jewel's request asked the two if they could hold it at the aviary they were staying in. Pedro said it wasn't a problem, and they could have it ready whenever Blu wished. Blu asked to have the party two weeks from that day, to give Jewel's wing time to heal and to let her get over the trauma she endured the other night. When Blu told his friends what occurred yesterday, Rafael nearly exploded with fury. "I don't believe that bird!" he growled, his fists clenched in anger. "Why if I had been there, I would have shown him what for!"

Blu told Rafi, Nico, and Pedro to chill. The eggs were okay now, and the only thing they lost was a flower that belonged to Jewel. He neglected to mention the dangers to Rio that the flower possessed as he didn't want his friends to worry about something that was out of their control. After a few drinks at the bar, Blu departed the club happily. The rest of the days before the party passed without much incident with one major exception. Linda asked Blu to fly into the examination room at the aviary one day so she could tell him some important news. Before she began to speak to the confused macaw, she brushed a stray piece of hair from her face. "Um, I know this might be weird for you to hear Blu," she said, "but Tulio and I have gotten quite close since we both came to Rio and, well, I've decided to stay in Brazil with him." Blu's eyes widened with shock at first, but slowly a content smile spread across his beak. He actually enjoyed this news. It hadn't ever crossed Blu's mind to return to Minnesota with Linda if she eventually left. Although he appreciated everything Linda did to take care of him over the years and she was still one of his best friends, he truly loved being in Rio with Jewel. Now he didn't have to feel bad about leaving Linda. She wasn't going anywhere! Blu let out a cheerful squawk and rubbed Linda's hand with his beak to show that he liked what she told him. Linda returned his gesture with a relieved smile and stroked his feathers. She leaned down to whisper the next part into Blu's ear. "There's more. Tulio and I have decided to open up a sort of conservation ground for Spix's macaws. That is where we are going to live. You two can live on the property as well with your chicks once they hatch. It's right outside the city, so you two can fly there whenever you like." After Linda finished talking, Blu let out a sigh of relief. That took care of where he and Jewel were going to live after their babies were born. Blu knew he'd miss the artificial jungle where so many of his and Jewel's adventures occurred, but he also realized that if he ever wanted to visit, the jungle was just a short flight away. Blu nodded his head and smiled to tell Linda that not only did he understand what she said, he was on board with the idea. The two friends did their signature handshake before Blu returned to the jungle to take over egg-sitting duty for Jewel.

On party day, Blu guided his friends to the aviary. He led the way with Nico behind him, followed by Pedro and Rafael who brought up the rear. Nico didn't like being in the dark, enclosed air vent. A worried expression blanketed his face and he practically trembled with fear. "B-Blu," he whispered urgently, "a-are we almost the-there?"

"Yeah," Blu turned his head to address the canary, "just a little farther and we'll be in a huge room. Hang in there."

Pedro patted Nico's back as they continued on. "Don't worry little buddy, Pedro's right behind you. There's nothing to be afraid of."

Through the air vent, Rafael took along a small box of streamers and balloons in his wings, while Pedro carried along his Ipod and a Bluetooth speaker, and Nico firmly held onto the gifts each bird brought for Blu and Jewel. When the birds arrived, they waved to Jewel and greeted her joyfully. "Hiya Jewel!" Rafael exclaimed. He hurriedly flew down to where Jewel was sitting on the eggs. "May I see the precious things please?"

Jewel chuckled and stood up so Rafael could take a look at the eggs. "Of course," she said gesturing her wing to the eggs.

Rafael bent down and rubbed one of the eggs gently with his wing. "Hola little blue bird," he whispered, "it's your Uncle Rafael." "I'm an amigo of your parents. You four are lucky; you got stuck with two of the best birds imaginable."

Jewel raised an eyebrow playfully: "Stuck with huh? Looks like someone isn't getting help with the decorations now."

Rafael whipped his head up to look at Jewel and pleaded: "Ay-yi-yi Jewel, I take it back. Please lend a poor toucan a wing."

Jewel rolled her eyes; it was fun to see Rafael act like a total drama queen. "Well I suppose it would be good to build some strength up in this wing again. I'm in," she said.

"Hey Jewel," greeted Nico with a wave of his wing, "glad to see your wing's better now. That cockatoo sure did a number on you didn't he?"

"Please," Jewel said as she began to hang streamers from the fake palm trees, "you should see how he looks. Blu ran that sucker through a propeller blade."

Blu blushed as he helped Pedro set up the sound equipment: "I only do what needs to be done to protect the birds I love."

"Now that's a real homie," Pedro said giving Blu a fist bump.

After everything had been set up, Tulio stopped by on his lunch break to give the Spix's macaws and their friends some snacks. "Hey you guys, how are you liking it here? It's no rainforest but it gets the job done," he said.

Pedro reached up to grab a mango from Tulio's hands. Munching it he said: "It sure worked for the two lovebirds."

Jewel shot Pedro a warning look that scared Pedro so much he almost choked on the fruit in his mouth. He returned Jewel's glare with a sheepish grin. Rafael chose a papaya and broke it in half expertly with his sturdy bill. "This has always been my favorite fruit," he said.

Now it was Jewel's turn to tease someone. As she ate her passion fruit she asked Rafi: "Is it because Eva calls you her pudgy papaya?"

Rafael burst out laughing, but was careful not to spit any fruit anywhere. "Good one Jewel!" he congratulated. "You may be right," he said with a wicked grin on his face, "but I neither confirm nor deny."

Tulio laughed at the friends' antics. He always enjoyed seeing birds interact with each other; it fascinated him just how social they were. He stepped to the door and called to them: "I'll let you guys enjoy yourselves. Have fun at your party!"

The group of birds all squawked in response and Tulio walked back down the hall. "He's a nice guy," said Nico.

"Nice but strange," added Jewel with her mouth full. "You guys are just lucky you haven't witnessed his bird impressions yet."

Pedro grimaced: "He pretends to be birds?"

"Oh yeah," Blu said as he ate a bowl of Fruity Bits cereal, "he thinks he can communicate with us by making all these squawking noises and flapping his arms like wings. Needless to say, it doesn't work and I've had the displeasure of seeing him do it several times."

"Bro, what are you eating?" Pedro asked pointing to Blu's cereal. "I've never seen anything like that in my life."

Blu scooped up some more of the colorful spheres with a plastic spoon meant for infant children and dropped them in his beak. Crunching, he answered: "It's fruit-flavored cereal. Linda made it for me every other morning for breakfast when I lived with her in Minnesota. On the other days, I had pancakes with blueberries."

Rafael stared at Blu blankly. "Aye Carumba, amigo, have you ever made sense a day in your life?"

"No," Jewel told the toucan. "One time when we were eating fruit he told me it wasn't the natural way to eat it. The natural way was to eat it out of a cereal box."

"Blu," Nico laughed," you serious?"

Blu shrugged, not bothered by his friends' good-natured teasing. "I'll have you guys know that I do make sense; you all just don't understand me."

"Because you don't make sense," Jewel countered.

"Okay you two," Rafael said holding up his wings to prevent a fight. "Instead of arguing, you should be doing something else like opening up my gift!"

From underneath a fake jungle plant, he pulled out a small box wrapped in paper colored with shades of blue. On top was a pink, sparkly gift bow. He winked at the Spix's macaws. "Go on guys, open it!" he exclaimed excited to see their reaction.

Blu and Jewel each held an eager grin on their face, equally as excited to see what Rafael had gotten them. When they had finished tearing off the paper and lifted the cardboard lid from the box, each bird gasped with happy surprise. Jewel in particular, had tears in her eyes. Inside was a white mug for Blu that had written on it in big, blue capital letters: "World's Best Dad." Blu lifted it up and held it to his chest. "Gee thanks a lot Rafi!" he said happily. "This is a wonderful present. From now on, I'll be drinking every cup of hot chocolate in this."

Rafael laughed, overjoyed that Blu had liked his present. "You're welcome Blu, even though I don't have the slightest clue what that is!"

Meanwhile Jewel pulled out her present and studied it. It was a pink flower that looked very similar to the one her mother had given her for her birthday years ago. She turned to the toucan with a smile that could have melted the hardest of hearts and asked: "Where did you find this?"

"Oh," Rafael explained, "I went into the jungle right outside the city and found the bush it grew on. Blu told us about how Javier had stolen the one your mom gave you, so I felt the least I could do was find you something to replace it with until we found the original." He looked down at the floor embarrassed. "I know it isn't the exact same plant, but when I saw it I thought you would like it."

Jewel walked over and wrapped the toucan up into a grateful hug. "I love it," she said. "It's one of the most thoughtful gifts anyone has ever given me. Thank you so much."

Rafael released himself from Jewel's grip and blushed, pleased that Jewel appreciated the hard work it had taken to find the plant. He had been a little nervous that giving her something like that might not go over well. He was happy that she understood his motives in giving it to her. "Wow Rafi," Pedro said from behind him. He was holding his gift in his wings. The box was even smaller than Rafael's and was decorated with white paper emblazoned with red polka dots. There was a slight frown upon his face, and he explained why almost immediately: "If you were giving them something like that the least you could have done was gone last. Now Nico's gift and mine are gonna look crappy in comparison!"

"Yeah dawg," Nico whined with sad puppy-dog eyes, "you did that on purpose."

Rafael rolled his eyes; he was used to his two friends acting dramatic like this. "Chillax guys," he said like a stereotypical surfer dude, "I'm sure Blu and Jewel will enjoy whatever you got them just as much." He paused and tapped his talon on his colorful bill as if he was thinking further. "Okay maybe a little less," he teased.

"Grrr," Pedro growled. As he walked over to present the Spix's macaws with their gift, he stepped on Rafael's foot hard, causing the toucan to yelp in pain. "Serves you right!" Pedro shouted to Rafael. "Alright guys, I hope you enjoy." he said to the macaws as he set the present down in front of them.

"Okay let's see what's inside," Blu said in a voice filled with anticipation. The object he pulled out of the box was a white MP3 player complete with a set of earbuds. A confused look settled n his face as he twisted the cord around his claws. "Huh, thanks Pedro but uh, which one of us is it for?"

"Oh, it's actually for neither of you," Pedro told Blu with an excited look on his face. "It's for the chicks! Just in case one of them ends up having a passion for music like me. It's totally empty so they can download whatever songs they want on it."

"Cool!" said Blu considerably brighter now that he understood. "I'm sure one of them will definitely fall in love with it."

Jewel; however, was still puzzled with the strange device. She tapped the small, circular screen. "There sure is some weird stuff out there huh," she said.

"It's not that weird," Blu said defensively still holding the MP3 as if it was his present. He looked at it longingly. "Linda bought me one of these when they first came out. I can still do the "Crank That" dance like a boss," he bragged.

"Really?!" Pedro asked hopefully. His eyes were bulging out of his head. "Dance off: right here, right now!" he demanded.

"No, no!" Nico pleaded. He had seen Pedro do this dance before at the club prior to business hours. Despite what Pedro believed, he did the dance so poorly it hurt Nico's eyes, and he was sure without even having to see Blu do it that he did it even worse. "Spare us! Here guys," he said thrusting his rectangular gift wrapped in solid yellow wrapping paper at the macaws, "open my gift. I want to see what you think; I worked really hard on it."

"Homemade huh?' Jewel asked with an arched eyebrow."That makes it all the more special, "she said and winked at the canary, making Nico blush. After taking the present and opening it up, she gasped with delight. A huge grin spread across her beak once more as she pulled out a talon-knit light blue blanket with two Spix's macaws stitched atop it. The macaws looked just like her and Blu. Their beaks were met in a loving kiss and each held a happy, gentle smile on their face. "Oh," Jewel gushed holding the blanket up so Blu could see it, "this is adorable. Blu, do you see? It's us!"

"Yeah," Blu nodded, "aw it's really cute Nico. I didn't know you knitted!"

"Neither did I!" Pedro turned to the canary looking genuinely surprised.

Nico shrugged his shoulders: "I learned how to do it from Youtube videos. It helps relieve stress."

"Not to mention impress your friends," Jewel added folding the blanket and placing it on a rock so it didn't make contact with the floor. "Wonderful gift Nico, thank you very much. You all did great. I appreciate your kindness and friendship very much and am honored to know you three, despite the teasing I do."

"As am I," Blu said bowing his head, "you three are the best friends a bird could have."

"Correction," Rafael said pointing a wing at Blu, "the best amigos a bird could have."

Blu rolled his eyes but conceded: "Okay, okay Rafi. The best amigos."

"Now that's more like it!" Pedro shouted. He flew over to the sound equipment and cranked up the volume on the speakers. As the music began pumping out, he began flying around and shaking his tailfeathers to the beat. "Come on everyone," he yelled with his wings cupped around his beak, "time to boogie down!"

"Alright!" exclaimed Jewel. "Let's go Blu, get your feathery butt on the floor! I wanna see you work it!"

"You're on Jewel!" Blu shouted in response.

The group of friends began moving and grooving all around the base of the room. Pedro and Nico were stomping, Rafael was hopping, and Blu was twirling Jewel so fast she began to feel dizzy. "Woah," Jewel said when she stopped spinning. "I shouldn't have eaten so much fruit."

"Don't hurl baby bird!" taunted Nico, "I don't think the Bird Doc would appreciate it."

Jewel pulled one of the fake palm leaves off a nearby bush and tossed it at Nico, who dodged it playfully. Suddenly, the song that had previously been playing ended and it switched to "Nothin' on You" by B.O.B. and Bruno Mars. "Oh my God!" Jewel swooned when she heard Bruno begin to sing. "If only he was a bird," she sighed dreamily.

"Hey!" Blu said with a wing placed over his heart as if he'd been permanently emotionally scarred. "Your mate is standing right here!"

"So show him Blu!" Rafael called from where he was dancing nearby, "Sing it better!"

"Yeah, Blu!" Jewel said excitedly. "I'd love to hear your voice, sing for me!"

A smug look crossed Blu's beak, for he knew he'd be able to impress. "Alrighty then, this just so happened to be one of the tracks on my old MP3." When the chorus rolled around for the second time, Blu cleared his throat and began to sing in a voice that was a little higher than most male birds. If he really tried to, he's probably be able to hit the higher notes in most songs naturally. Jewel listened with a huge smile on her beak. She loved moments like these when Blu did things that were out of his comfort zone. So far, he hadn't really danced with the rest of them. He had either watched Jewel or kind of guided her movements. Now; however, he was center stage. She wouldn't say that he was no Bruno out loud because he was too sensitive, but she did have to admit that he was pretty good.

_Beautiful girls, all over the world,_

_I could be chasin, but my time would be wasted,_

_They got nothin' on you babe! Nothin' on you babe!_

_They might say hi, and I might say hey,_

_But you shouldn't worry about what they say,_

_Cuz they got nothin' on you babe! Nothin' on you babe!_

When Blu finished singing, he took a bow. Grinning, he looked at Jewel. "How'd I do?" he asked.

Jewel stepped forward and pulled him into a long kiss. As she pulled apart she said, "That answer your question?"

"Oh yeah," Blu said with the same big, silly smile on his face.

Only several paces away, the three other birds present looked on at the two Spix's macaws. The lover of romance that he was, Rafael was enjoying the picture-perfect moment shared between the couple. Pedro, meanwhile, turned to his best friend and asked: "Looks like we threw another great party huh?"

Nico gave the cardinal a fist pump and answered proudly: "As if there was ever any doubt in our ability."


	20. Chapter 20: Bye Fake Jungle! Hi Real One

**Chapter 20: Bye Fake Jungle! Hi Real One**

Two weeks after the party, Blu and Jewel were finally ready to bid farewell to the place they had called home for the past month, Tulio's aviary. Their four eggs hatched several days after the party and the two macaws were overjoyed. The little chicks were super tiny and cute. So far it appeared that their group of children consisted of one boy and three girls. Blu and Jewel chose to name their son Tiago and their daughters Bia, Carla, and Alicia after Jewel's mother. Since Blu knew the names of neither of his parents, he was unable to honor either of them that way. During the name-choosing process when Jewel asked if that bothered him, Blu shook his head. "No, it's just how it is." He lowered his head and sighed. "Besides, there is nothing I can do about it."

As they prepared to leave that day, Blu took another look at all the fake bushes and trees, the controlled waterfall, the broken air vent they had slipped in and out of so many times, and he suppressed the urge to cry. The artificial jungle had really started to feel like a second home to him. Sure, he was just moving to another location but it hurt to leave this place all the same. The aviary was where he and Jewel met for the first time. It was where they mated, laid their eggs, clashed with Javier, and where their babies were born. Though they only lived there for a short time, many huge events occurred in this room. "I'm gonna miss this place," Blu said aloud to no one in particular.

Speaking of the clash with Javier, Blu knew that he needed to resume the search for Jewel's flower soon, but for some reason he felt like taking care of the kids was more important right now. Jewel appeared to agree. Now that their children were born she was fully herself again and happier than ever. The flower and the potential damage it could do to the city seemed to be the last thing on her mind. Blu hadn't asked Jewel if this was true, though, because if he was being perfectly honest with himself he hated looking for the flower. It ate up so much of his time and took a major toll on his body. Lately, Blu had been telling himself that if it took over a decade for the bad guys to get their wings on one of the four items they needed, it should take equally as long to get the rest. However, this was doing nothing to relieve the smothering guilt that kept brewing up inside his chest. If something terrible ended up happening that he could have helped stop, he would never be able to forgive himself. Right then and there, Blu resolved that once the couple got settled in their new home he would begin looking again. Even though flying so much each day was no fun, it was no excuse. Blu had a duty to protect his mate, his kids, and his friends in Rio.

Standing nearby, Jewel was busy corralling their chicks and finishing packing up a box with items she collected from the artificial jungle to furnish their new home. She planned to use one of the many rocks as a small table to eat on, and rubber leaves as wall decorations. The other day, Blu's previous caretaker Linda went out and bought them a small carpet that was meant to be used as a decoration in a dollhouse. The little rug contained all the colors of the rainbow, and Jewel loved it. She knew it would bring some much needed color to the drab, brown bark of the tree they were going to live in. Thinking Blu had spoken to her, Jewel turned to face him. "So will I, but we'll make lots of good memories in our new home. You'll see." Her eyes widened as she saw Tiago attempting to pull out some of Carla's feathers. "Hey, hey!" she reprimanded while pushing the two birds apart with her wings, "Tiago, leave your sister alone!"

While Jewel continued to deal with the chicks, Blu placed the remaining items they were taking along with them in the cardboard box. He stretched his neck to call for her. "Jewel, how about I carry the kids to the tree while you take the box? That way you can take a break from policing for a bit."

Jewel wiped a wing across her beak in relief. "Yeah, that sounds like an excellent plan," she breathed tiredly. She slapped Tiago's wing when he made another move to bother Carla. This did the trick. Tiago's face fell and he waddled clumsily away, acting extra pitiful so Jewel would feel sorry for him. "Not gonna work boy!" she called to him. "I've pulled that little stunt way more times than you."

Blu arched an eyebrow at his mate. "Really?"

Jewel shrugged her shoulders. "Well, it's not like I was a perfect chick or anything. I had my moments, we all do."

"Agreed," Blu nodded his head. "When I didn't take my vitamins, Linda used to forbid me from reading any of the books in the library for a day."

Jewel's face scrunched up in confusion. "What are vitamins?"

"Apparently things that actually aren't all that important, seeing as how I'm the only bird I know that took them," Blu laughed. "I was disciplined unjustly!" he exclaimed slamming his wing down on the hard floor. "Ouch," he blushed waving his wing to shake off the pain from the impact.

Jewel kissed his wing to make it feel better. "Oh, I'm sure that wasn't the only bad thing you did during your fifteen years as a pet Blu," she teased.

"Correction," Blu said matter-of-factly, tilting his head closer to Jewel, "I was not a pet; I was Linda's companion."

Jewel rolled her eyes. This was not the first time Blu told her this little speech. In fact, she often referred to him as a pet on purpose just to ruffle his feathers, no pun intended. She moved her head side to side as if debating two ideas. "Pet, companion, same difference,"

As Blu opened his beak to argue with Jewel further, the two macaws whirled their heads to face the door which had begun to open with a creaking noise. Peeking in through the entrance was Linda, dressed in her blue and yellow conservation uniform and a typical safari hat. "Hey you two," Linda greeted the macaws shyly with a wave of her hand. "I hope I'm not interrupting; I just wanted to say goodbye to Blu."

Jewel nodded her head and motioned to Blu with her wing to join Linda outside. "Go ahead Blu, say goodbye to her. You lived with her for years it's only right."

Blu nodded his head at Jewel and walked over to the entrance to the artificial jungle. When he reached Linda's foot, she lifted him up onto her hand. After waving at Jewel and the chicks once more, she closed the door gently behind them. Once they were out in the aviary's hall, Linda placed Blu down on the sill of a window that showed the inside of one of the staff members' offices. Linda held her hands behind her back and didn't look Blu in the eye. She knew if she did she would probably start crying. Even though they hadn't spent as much time together as they had before they arrived in Rio, Blu had always been right here in the aviary. If she ever wanted to talk to him she could. Although she knew she could still visit him at the conservation grounds, she would be seeing even less of him. Blu was her best friend for so many years; you don't just let someone like that go easily even if he was happy with Jewel and his kids. "Well, I guess this is pretty much goodbye huh?" she told the floor.

Blu wasn't looking directly at Linda either. He felt exactly as she did. He was going to miss the human that had cared for him for so many years. Before he met Jewel, she had been his best friend, but his only friend. Blu knew that even though it was difficult to let Linda go he was making the right choice. Living in a bookstore or a house in Brazil was no life for an exotic bird. He now knew the freedom Jewel had described to him while they were on the run from Nigel and the smugglers. Ever since he got the taste of what that liberty felt like, he didn't want to give it up. He nodded his head and squawked at Linda.

Linda looked up at the Spix's macaw and Blu shifted his head to gaze at Linda. Tears welled up in both of their eyes. "I'm gonna miss you very much," Linda whispered, the sobs she held back choking her voice. "You were my little blue buddy for a long time." Blu just looked at Linda, a tear sliding down his feathers. He didn't want to interrupt what she wanted to say to him. "But now you're all grown up," she continued sadly, "and I need to let you go. It's just… part of life." Blu nodded his head and squawked once more. He leaned in so that the feathers on his head were brushing Linda's hand. She stroked his feathers with a sad smile on her face. After a couple of minutes, she pulled her hand away from Blu causing him to look up at her one more time. She stuck out her hand and Blu caught on quickly. Linda wanted to do their special handshake one last time. He did the motions with her perfectly, an expert at it after doing it so many times before. When they finished, Linda rubbed Blu's feathers one more time and said calmly: "That's my big, brave boy." Then, she allowed Blu to climb up on her hand once more, and she dropped him off in the artificial jungle once more. Before she departed the room, she waved at Blu one final time, a dejected look in her eyes, and then closed the door.

Blu just stood where Linda had placed him on the floor for a few minutes, staring at the door she exited through. Part of him wanted to run after her, even though he knew that wasn't possible. He couldn't abandon Jewel and the kids. This was his life now. Linda was his past; Jewel was his future. He turned to his mate who was looking at him with a concerned expression, the kids still running around behind her. "Hey," she said, "are you alright?"

Blu nodded his head. As he looked into the sapphire blue eyes that were the eyes of his mate, Blu knew that he was sure that he was okay. "Yeah, you know what? I will be. I mean of course I'm going to miss her; I would never be doing this if I was going at it alone. But, I'm doing it with you," he smiled. "That makes it all worth it. I'm happier with you Jewel than I ever was with Linda. So," he asked craning his neck to see the kids behind Jewel, "if everyone else is ready, can we get going to our new home?"

A huge, adorable grin worked its way onto Jewel's beak. She turned her head to look at the chicks who were jumping around one another. "Well guys, you ready to go see where we're going to live?" The chicks turned to look at their mother and cheered excitedly. Tiago and Alicia even hopped up and down with anticipation. Jewel laughed at their antics and looked at Blu once more. "Sounds like we're all set to go Blu."

"Ok then," Blu answered rubbing his wings together. He walked over to his children and bent down in front of them. "Now, who's up for a piggyback ride?" The babies squealed with happiness and eagerly leaped onto the feathers on Blu's back. The sudden added weight caused Blu to bend forward even more and let out a sharp breath. "I was going to lift you guys on gently one at a time," he wheezed, "but I suppose this will do just fine."

Jewel giggled at her mate with a wing over her beak. "They love you Blu. You should take it as a compliment that they wanted a ride so much they nearly killed you."

Blu hobbled over to Jewel, weighed down by his children. "That's easy to say when you don't have four birds on your back."

"Well," Jewel remarked climbing up onto their box of belongings and latching onto it with her talons, "I'm about to hold a load just as bad so one of us won't have to deal with all the pain."

Blu smiled at his mate once more. "And that's why we work together so well as a couple Jewel," he pointed out, "we share the load."

Jewel looked down at the box, touched at Blu's words. "Spoken like a true love expert," she said softly. "Rafael must be rubbing off on you."

Blu shrugged his shoulders the best he could with nearly thirty pounds on his fragile body: "We do talk quite a lot. It's an amigo thing. Now, can we please get going before I need a new spine."

"Yes," Jewel said as she took out the flower Rafael had given her from a ruffle of feathers and placed it atop her head. She wanted to look extra cute for their move-in day. Then, Jewel grunted while struggling to lift the box off the floor. She inhaled and exhaled rapidly as she focused on flapping her wings to keep her cargo in the air. "Alright let's go," she panted, her face a wrinkled mess from the exertion of her muscles, "the sooner we get to the tree the better." Blu nodded and lifted off as well. When they reached the air vent they always used to fly to the city, Blu let Jewel go first so he could take one last look at the artificial jungle. He smiled wistfully, tears working their way to his eyes once more that day. "Goodbye fake jungle," he said sadly. Blu then turned to stare down the dark passage that made up part of the ventilation shaft. He let out an anxious breath, his stomach a bundle of knots due to the new territory he would be venturing into soon and finished: "Hello real one."

#

Twenty minutes later, Blu and Jewel arrived at a hollowed tree on the grounds of the Blu Bird Sanctuary. Over the course of the month, Linda and Tulio decided that although the land was originally created so the Spix's macaws would have a safe place to live, all types of birds would be allowed to live there. Blu and Jewel were eager to see who would be moving in as time went on. Jewel currently placed the big box she had carried from the aviary to their new home down on the natural wooden floor. She let out an exhausted breath and stretched her aching wings behind her back. "Wow," she said to her mate, still practically out of breath, "remind me not to fly with a heavy box in my talons ever again."

"At least you didn't have four kids on your back." Blu responded equally tired. Their talons had dug into his flesh the whole ride and he was sure that some damage, albeit minor, had been done. The chicks, now off of their father, were roaming around the surprisingly large interior of the tree. Though they were still too young to speak, that didn't stop them from squawking so loudly Jewel had to cover her ears.

"It's so nice to be inside a real tree again!" Jewel shouted over the noise the babies were making. "It's really spacious too! We can lay down the toy carpet here, set up the dinner table over there," Jewel pointed to the right side of the hollow, "there's a lot to work with."

Blu nodded his head in agreement; however, he held a slightly nervous expression on his beak. He hadn't been in a tree since he was a newborn so this would definitely take some getting used to. He moved his head gently to take in the whole scene around him. "For sure but, uh, is there any way we can put a door there," he pointed to the hollow's entrance. "You know, so intruders don't come in."

Jewel attempted not to laugh at Blu's silly question. She tried her best to be empathetic towards how Blu was feeling. She understood that this was all very new to him so rather than tease him, she needed to explain how everything worked and do her best to make him feel comfortable. Just like he did for her back when they were staying in the city. "I'm sorry Blu but that's not exactly possible. You just kind of have to deal with an open hole like that. I know it's not ideal but don't worry, I used to live in the Amazon, a real jungle. We're right outside the city. If you think this is wild, just know it's nothing compared to where I used to live. Besides, there's an unspoken rule among creatures that you don't enter an occupied hollow. Unless that is, you're looking for a huge fight."

Blu nodded once again, still not entirely at ease. "Okay, and how exactly are we going to get food?"

"We'll take turns each morning going out to look for edible fruits and nuts," Jewel explained. When she saw Blu about to speak she quickly continued: "Don't worry, I will teach you what to look for and we'll do it together the first couple of times before you go out on your own. Everything will work out Blu, I promise. Birds like us do this every day; heck if humans hadn't interfered in your life you would have grown up thinking this was normal. Try to imagine that I'm your mother and you're my chick and I'm just teaching you what you need to know to survive."

Blu chuckled at the idea of Jewel being his mother. "Alright Mom," he saluted Jewel, "I won't disobey your orders. If I do, you have my permission to punish me."

Jewel stepped closer and smacked Blu's shoulder gently with her wing. "Excuse me?" she asked playfully, "I don't need my child's permission to punish him. I'm in charge remember?"

Blu laughed and blushed. He loved when Jewel messed around with him. He was the only one she ever showed this side of herself to. Whenever she did, he felt luckier than ever that he was the one she had chosen to love. All of a sudden, he felt himself getting mushy and emotional. "I love you Jewel," he said quietly while the chicks continued to circle around their talons. "I can't wait to start the next chapter of our life together."

Jewel giggled and moved so close to Blu, their beaks were touching. "I love you too," she whispered with a huge grin on her face. "There is no other bird on this planet I would rather raise kids with, or share a home with." As she said this Jewel thought back to the many times when she was a kid and imagined herself doing exactly what she had just described. She had always wondered who she would end up doing those things with and if when they were actually occurring, would she enjoy them. Standing here now in her new tree with Blu, she knew without a shadow of a doubt that her life was perfect. She leaned in and kissed Blu, causing their chicks to look up at them with disgust.

"Ew," Tiago chirped.

Blu and Jewel broke apart and burst out into amused laughter. Blu picked up the chick who most closely resembled his complexion with his dark blue feathers and stroked Tiago's crown. "Wow, who would have thought that his first word would have been ew?" he asked rhetorically.

Jewel raised a wing. "I could have told you that from day one it would have been something naughty." She nuzzled Tiago's beak with her own, making him laugh and clap his wings. Jewel sighed and took a step back. Wings on her hips, she surveyed the tree's interior. "Alright Blu, time to unpack!"

Blu placed Tiago back down on the floor made of tree bark with his siblings and proceeded to open the lid of the cardboard box. "Yes ma'am," he responded.

#

By late afternoon, Blu and Jewel had tired of putting their things around the tree and their chicks were getting hungry. Jewel flew out to gather some dinner and came back not long after with a large amount of Brazil nuts she had placed into the box that formerly carried their furnishings. "All right everyone," she exclaimed dropping the box in front of her waiting family, "dig in!"

The kids needed no second bidding. They leaped into the box and began fighting over the nuts inside. "Whoa, whoa!," Blu yelled, quickly jumping into action. He lifted the chicks out, which proved to be tough as they dug into the box's sides with their sharp claws. When they had been extracted, he frowned at them disapprovingly. "Good birds do not act like that at all! Now I'm going to divide up the nuts equally so everyone gets a fair share. However, if there is anymore arguing, the culprits are getting spanked, put in time out, and you won't eat for another hour. Do I make myself clear?"

Each chick drooped their heads in shame and nodded silently. They knew better by now that Blu and Jewel meant what they said when they doled out a punishment and didn't dare question their parents' authority. Jewel smiled at her children, pleased at their obedience. "Wonderful job listening to your father." Then, she and Blu passed out the same amount of nuts to every chick and began to eat themselves. "I'd say we made good progress today," Jewel crunched.

Blu nodded his head in agreement and swallowed. "Yeah, we got the rug down, the table set up. We just have to bring in some leaves for everyone's bed before tonight and then I think we'll call it quits for today. We can put up the more decorative elements in the morning; it's been a really long day."

Jewel brushed a wing across her forehead. "You can say that again, I'm really tired." As she said this, Blu noticed her eyes narrowing as if she had seen something weird outside. Blu quickly spun around and saw what he assumed Jewel was looking at. A blue macaw with gold wingtips and feathers around her eyes was flying by with a wooden crate in her talons. She landed in the hollowed inside of a tree directly across a little stretch of foliage from their own. Blu squinted to get a closer look at the macaw who appeared to be bending over, worn out from carrying the crate to her destination. The feathers atop her head were quite overgrown and resembled really long human hair. Her most striking features; however, were her eyes. Blu had never seen a bird in his life with eyes the color she possessed. They were so colorless; they appeared to be gray. She was a truly magnificent creature; although, Blu still only held feelings for Jewel. Jewel whistled. "Wow, she's like the definition of a pretty bird." Nudging Blu playfully yet with a hint of warning in her tone she added: "Don't even think about anything sneaky Blu. You already have a mate and children remember?"

Blu looked at Jewel and spoke confidently in hopes that he'd instill the same feeling in her. "Jewel, you have nothing to worry about. She may be pretty, but she's nothing compared to you. You're beautiful on the outside, and where it really matters on the inside. I wouldn't trade you for any other bird on this earth. I meant it back then and I mean it now."

Jewel smiled, her insecurities beginning to fade a little. She knew Blu wasn't that kind of bird, but she couldn't really help it. This bird was just so stunning, and jealousy was a natural feeling. Jewel wasn't perfect, nor would she pretend to be. "Well, it's only polite if we introduce ourselves," she motioned for Blu to follow her, "come on."

"Okay," he answered Jewel. Then he turned his attention to the kids. "Guys, Mommy and I will be right over there for a few minutes," he said to them pointing to the tree across the way, "stay here and don't cause any trouble alright? We'll be right back." The chicks nodded their heads and continued to munch on the Brazil nuts they had been given to eat. "Alright," he said to Jewel, "let's head on over."

#

It took all of ten seconds for Blu and Jewel to land on the edge of their new neighbor's entrance. The blue and gold macaw was presently unpacking things from her crate and had her back to them, so Blu rapped on the bark outside the hole with his wing to get her attention. Caught by surprise, the macaw gasped and whirled around. However, when she saw the friendly faces of the Spix's macaws at her door, she quickly relaxed. Smiling warmly and holding her wings out in earnest welcome, the macaw greeted them: "Hello, how can I help you?"

Jewel waved at the macaw. "Hey there, my name is Jewel and this is my mate, Blu."

Blu also held up a wing to say hello. "Hey, we live with our kids in that tree right across from you," he pointed to their home. "While we were eating dinner, we saw you moving in and we thought it would be nice to say hello and welcome you to the neighborhood."

"Aw, that's really sweet!" the macaw chirped. She held out a wing for Blu and Jewel to both shake. "I'm Ana," she introduced herself as Blu and Jewel took turns shaking her wing, "it's lovely to meet you both." She pointed to Jewel's feathery crown. "That's a really beautiful flower. It goes with your feather color perfectly."

Jewel grinned at Ana's kind words and touched her flower self-consciously. "Thank you so much. It was a gift from a friend."

Ana nodded her head and shifted her gaze between the two Spix's macaws. "Well, it looks like we are going to be neighbors! This is great, I'm happy I got lucky with such nice birds living nearby. I used to live south of here, but when I heard word of this new land opening that was supposed to be really safe for birds I jumped at the chance to move."

"Oh yeah, this place is only for birds. No human trespassers allowed," Blu assured her.

"Awesome," Ana made a thumbs-up like gesture with her wing. "I've never really had a problem with people, but I have heard talk about some smuggling in this city. If there's any way I can steer clear of that, I'm going to make sure I do."

"Smart thinking," Jewel said with forced happiness, attempting to hide her disdain towards the smugglers. She didn't want Ana to find out about their own run in with them because she didn't want to dampen the cheerful vibe their encounter had taken thus far. In addition, Jewel was growing concerned about what their chicks were doing back home. "Well, we've interrupted enough of your unpacking and we've got to get back to our kids anyway. They've probably started tearing each other apart already," she laughed.

Ana chuckled at the joke as well. "It's no problem, and considering we live practically two feet away from each other we'll have plenty more opportunities to talk."

"Have a wonderful evening," Blu said as he began to lift off the wooden floor with Jewel.

"You too!" Ana shouted with a farewell wave of her wing. Then, she turned around and returned her attention to the wooden crate.

When they touched down in their home again, Jewel peered back once more at Ana's tree. Now that she and the kids were in the same place she relaxed once more. "This day just keeps getting better and better," she gushed. "Not only do we have an awesome place to live, we have a super nice bird as our neighbor!"

Blu nodded his head in agreement. "Yeah, she seems like she'll make another really wonderful friend." Turning to their chicks Blu began to congratulate them. "Thank you guys for behaving so well! As a reward we'll play whatever game you want." Since they were still too young to speak, Bia and Carla acted out what they wished to do by having Bia climb on top of Carla's back. When Blu saw this, he gulped nervously. "Uh oh, Am I assuming correctly that you all want piggyback rides?" All four chicks jumped and cheered in response.

Blu looked to Jewel with a pleading look on his face and Jewel nodded. "We'll each take two, okay?"

Relief washed over Blu's face and he agreed: "Yes, please!"

Blu lifted Tiago and Bia onto his back, and Jewel placed Carla and Alicia onto hers. Both Spix's macaws smiled happily despite the weight on their shoulders, each content to be together in their new tree with their new, big family in the city of Rio de Janeiro.

**Author's Notes**

**Well everyone, this concludes the first story in my planned series. I would like to thank everyone who gave this story a chance, and especially those of you who shared your thoughts in the reviews. I hope to see you all back for story number 2! Just be aware, you guys may just have to wait a teeny, tiny more than usual for that first chapter to be posted. Nothing too out of the ordinary though. Thank you so much again! Be back soon with more.**

**;)**


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